Philadelphia Retains Ownership of Atwater Kent Collection; Drexel Continues Conservation Role
The Atwater Kent Collection, a significant historical archive for Philadelphia, will remain under the ownership of the City of Philadelphia, reversing a prior plan for its transfer to Drexel University. Drexel will continue its role in conserving, exhibiting, and loaning…
Philadelphia, PA, October 14, 2026 —
The City of Philadelphia will retain ownership of the Atwater Kent Collection, reversing a prior plan to transfer the historical archive to Drexel University. Drexel will continue to conserve, exhibit and loan artifacts from the collection.
The arrangement separates ownership from the work of caring for and presenting the artifacts. The city will own the collection, while Drexel will maintain its role in conservation, exhibitions and loans. The summary of the decision does not specify how those responsibilities will be set out or administered.
The Atwater Kent Collection is described as a significant historical archive for Philadelphia. The available information does not detail the collection’s contents, its size or where the artifacts are currently held. It also does not identify when the ownership plan changed, who made the decision, or why the proposed transfer to Drexel was reversed.
No financial terms, agreement details or timeline for the continuing partnership were provided. The information also does not explain whether the change affects public access, planned exhibitions or any existing loans. Those details were not included in the announcement summary.
For now, the stated outcome is that the City of Philadelphia will retain ownership and Drexel will continue its conservation, exhibition and lending work. Further specifics about the arrangement were not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Peter Dobrin on www.inquirer.com, see more information here.
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