After the first hall was destroyed by fire in 1881, a second Horticultural Hall, built on the same location, was completed in 1882 designed by prominent Philadelphia architect Addison Hutton. In 1893, history repeated itself; during a candy fair, what began as a small fire quickly spread to the ceiling decorations hanging throughout the hall. Within a short time, the building was destroyed.

The 1896 Chrysanthemum Show and Exhibition of Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables was a five-day event and the first major show held in PHS's new Horticultural Hall on Broad Street. The exhibition included chrysanthemums, orchids, foliage plants, palms, ferns, Japanese evergreens, ornamental grasses and bamboos, berry-bearing plants, crotons, dracaenas, carnations, caladiums, and roses. Awarded premiums totaled $1,491. This illustration, showing the interior of the new hall, appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on November 11, 1896.

PHS held annual public exhibitions in venues throughout the city. The society built its first Horticultural Hall in 1867 on Broad Street, Philadelphia. The most remarkable display in the first grand exhibition featured pears, grapes, plums, quinces, and pomegranates shipped from California, the first offerings from that state in a PHS show. The hall was destroyed by fire in 1881.

While the fall shows of the 1880s and 1890s continued to feature chrysanthemums, Albert Blanc was attracting attention with his displays of cactus, a novelty at that time. Blanc was a cactus collector-turned-dealer. Through his exhibits, such as the one shown in the foreground of this photograph from The American Florist, and his mail order catalog, Hints on Cacti, he started a cactus craze in the 1890s in the United States. He was awarded a special premium for his display in the 1891 show and won a $50 prize.