Historic Liberty Bell Pavilion Given New Home on Campus of The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

The glass-and-steel pavilion that held the Liberty Bell until last year is moving from Independence National Historical Park to an insurance college in the Philadelphia suburbs.

The decision by the American College, which trains professionals in the insurance and financial-services industries, to install the pavilion on its 35-acre campus in Bryn Mawr spares the architecturally significant structure from demolition.

The pavilion, designed in 1976, is considered one of the finest works of architect Romaldo Giurgola. At the American College, it will become the entrance for an underground conference center and museum and house a replica of the Liberty Bell.

The U.S. General Services Administration, the agency responsible for federal property, selected American over at least two other institutions that vied for the landmark because of the college’s proximity to Philadelphia and its connection to Giurgola, who laid out the campus and designed its three main buildings.

The American College is an independent, accredited, nonprofit educational institution that provides graduate and professional education, primarily on a distance learning basis, to men and women pursuing career growth in financial services.

Founded in 1927 as The American College of Life Underwriters, the College has in recent decades broadened its instructional offerings to reflect the growing convergence of insurance and other financial services professions. A variety of designation, certificate, graduate-degree, and continuing education programs now complement its CLU designation.