Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites

The Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts is housed in three interconnected mid-1800s homes featuring changing exhibits, period rooms, and galleries highlighting furniture, paintings, china, clothing, and silver over three centuries of decorative arts. This museum speaks to the changes in style and design over three centuries.

The Kemerer is Pennsylvania’s only decorative arts museum — one of only 15 museums in the United States exclusively dedicated to the decorative arts.

The Kemerer also features a garden designed by Scott Rothenberger's PLACE. The garden uses traditional horticultural sampling and classic landscape architectural elements in a creative and contemporary way. Throughout the garden are stainless steel sculptures created by Bethlehem native, Skip Kralik. With two stunning gardens full of lush sustainable plants, the cocktail garden and chapel garden, the Kemerer makes the perfect space for programs, parties, and events.

The Kemerer  Museum at 427 N. New Street, Bethlehem is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fri., Sat., and Sun. Or please call 1-800-360-TOUR to schedule an appointment.

The Kemerer Museum is named for Annie S. Kemerer who was born in 1865 just south of Bethlehem. Annie married into a prominent Bethlehem family; she and her husband had one son. Annie and her family enjoyed surrounding themselves with beautiful furniture, paintings, and decorative objects.

After the untimely deaths of her son and then her husband, she became a recluse but continued to be an avid collector of antiques. After her death in 1951 and through her generous bequest, the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts was established in Bethlehem in 1954.

Annie Kemerer’s extensive personal collection includes lovely examples of Pennsylvania German textiles, exquisite furniture, priceless Bohemian glass, and her breathtaking 200-piece wedding china.

The Collections Resource Center addition to the Kemerer Museum opened in the fall of 2013. This is a two-story environmentally controlled vault which houses all of the most sensitive objects in the collections of Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites. On the interior there are floor to ceiling glass walls making it possible for visitors to see our priceless collections.

The second floor of the vault is home to the distinguished Elizabeth Johnston Prime Dollhouse and Toy Collection, forty-four structures and 6,000 pieces, making it one of the largest antique dollhouse collections in the United States. This collection, spanning the period from 1830-1930, recounts 100 years of architectural and decorative arts history.

Mrs. Prime was so precise in her collecting that she only put pieces in each house that were period-appropriate, down to the china. Because the collection is so vast, we feature select houses throughout the year on display.

FREE Sundays at the Museum
Every Sunday!

Bring your children to see our interactive play space Once Upon a TreeHouse Interactive Room!

The Kemerer is a one-of-a-kind destination sure to fascinate your guests!

Step back in time and celebrate your child's birthday with a party at the Kemerer Museum!