State House –

Independence Hall is located at 520 Chestnut Street in , 19106

Illustration by George Strickland. Engraving by Cephas G. Childs. 1828. Public Domain The original drawing of the State House by George Strickland was engraved by Cephas G. Childs in 1828 at 80 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Independence Hall is the building where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted, which makes it the most significant building preserved in its original state at the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History of the building According to Childs’ book, written in 1827, “In 1729, the edifice of this building was commenced by the freemen of the province of Pennsylvania and finished in 1733, having cost about a thousand pounds. The original plan was rectangular, 110 feet in front, by forty-four feet in depth, with an offset of 32 by 35 feet in the rear for the stairway and main passage on which a steeple was originally erected. The building, two stories in height, is constructed of brick with a Roman

A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent, 1752 facade, rustic corners, and an enriched Corinthian cornice with flush panels of marble between the stories. The main entrance is by a Corinthian doorway which opens into a commodious vestibule.”1

1 Cephas Grier Childs, Thomas Birch, Thomas Sully, George Strickland, Thomas Doughty, J. R. Watson, et al. Views in Philadelphia, and its vicinity; engraved from original drawings. Philadelphia: C.G. Childs, 1827. Speaker of the Assembly, , oversaw the construction of the Pennsylvania State House, known today as Independence Hall. Master builder Edmund Woolley drew up the designs for the building. An early member of the Carpenters' Company, Woolley employed skills that combine architecture, engineering, and carpentry. Construction started in 1732, but parts of the building were still being built when the Pennsylvania Assembly began meeting in the building in 1735. The building, not including the tower, was completed in 1748.2

Andrew Hamilton, Speaker of the The exterior of Independence Pennsylvania Assembly, NPS photo Hall still retains much of its 18th century appearance. As stated in the National Park Service’s website, “The north facade features marble keystones above each window, a carved wooden cornice and a wooden balustrade stretching between the chimneys on the roof. A Venetian or Palladian window graces the south facade. The State House building is an example of the Georgian style architecture that was popular in Great Britain and America during the 1700s and the reigns of King George I, II and III.” 3

Carver Samuel Harding West side of Independence Hall with reconstructed clock, NPS photo created much of the ornamentation in the central hall. Some of that original woodwork still survives. The decorative elements that are displayed on the walls of Independence Hall emphasized the ideas of proportion and symmetry promoted through Georgian architecture. The Central Hall and Tower Stair Hall are two of the most decorative interior spaces in Independence Hall. These rooms retain many of their original eighteenth century Independence Hall Interior © 2020 by Florek features, perhaps because their functions did not change over time.4 Between 1750 and 1756, a stone tower which included a wooden steeple was added to the south side of the State House, now known as Independence Hall. The enhancement fortified the building with a grand new staircase to the second floor. most certainly had used the staircase secured with a walnut handrail to get to his office on the second floor when he served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1785 to 1788.

Tower Stair Hall, NPS Photo

2 “History & Culture,” National Historical Park Pennsylvania, NPS.gov, https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/index.htm. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. Architectural Changes to the State House

Drawing of the Old State House, 1732, attributed to master builder Edmund Woolley. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The State House development along Chestnut Street changed somewhat since its original construction. The major modifications include the addition of a tower and steeple to Independence Hall in the mid 18th century, the demolition and replacement of the original wing buildings, the construction and later removal of wooden sheds as well as the removal and later replacement of the steeple.5

1753 This modern illustration shows the State House during the colonial period. Notice the wings, connecting piazzas and original steeple. Initially, the building had no tower or steeple. They were added in the mid 1700's, and a bell was ordered for the steeple in 1751. In 1753, that bell was recast into the one we now call the Liberty Bell.6 State House, c. 1753, illustration drawn by James Mulcahy. NPS Image.

5 “History & Culture,” NPS.gov. 6 Ibid. 1776 During the American Revolution, the wooden sheds adjoining the wing buildings on the east and west ends were used for ammunition storage. It is also possible that the sheds housed native peoples when they visited the provincial government for treaty negotiations. The wing buildings served as office space and living quarters for the State House c.1776, illustration by James Mulcahy. NPS image. doorkeeper.

1828 The City hired architect William Strickland to restore the steeple in 1828. After Revolutionary War Hero Marquis de Lafayette had visited the building in 1824, public sentiment advocated for the restoration of the building to its 1776 appearance. Strickland's steeple included the incorporation of a clock and added ornamentation. State House in 1828, illustrated by James Mulcahy. NPS image.

1898 Between 1896 and 1898, the City implemented a program to restore Independence Square to its appearance during the American Revolution. As part of that program, the Mills buildings were replaced by wings and arcades resembling those of the 18th century. Visitors today will see that the exteriors of the buildings look much as they did to visitors in 1898.7 State House in 189 8illustrated by James Mulcahy. NPS image.

7 “History & Culture,” National Historical Park Pennsylvania, NPS.gov, https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/index.htm. Significant Historical Events The Second Continental Congress The Pennsylvania legislature loaned the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House out to the men of the Second Continental Congress in May 1775. Meeting just a month after shots had been fired at Lexington and Concord, the men prepared for war. On July 2, 1776, the men voted to approve the resolution for independence. On July 4, 1776, they voted to approve their document, the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was signed in this room on August 2, 1776.8 Assembly Room. Photo by Se Florek.

The Constitutional Convention The Pennsylvania legislature loaned their room out again in May 1787 to the men of the Constitutional Convention. The nation's first framework of government, the Articles of Confederation, had proven unsatisfactory. But after much debate, the delegates created the U.S. Constitution in four months…a feat George Washington called “little short of a miracle". The debates of the Constitutional Convention were impassioned at times, over issues like the power balance between large states and small states as well as the slave trade.9 Assembly Room. Photo by Se Florek.

8 Ibid. 9 “History & Culture,” National Historical Park Pennsylvania, NPS.gov, https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/index.htm. Preservation Efforts When the Federal Government came to Philadelphia in 1790, the U. S. Congress met in Congress Hall, built in 1787-89, in Independence Square, at the corner of Chestnut and Sixth Streets, to serve as a county courthouse. By this same time, the State House Garden had been developed in the Square, and the American Philosophical Society Hall had been constructed. From 1802 to 1827, artist Charles Willson Peale housed his museum of natural history specimens and portraits of famous Americans, on the second floor of the Old State House and in the Assembly Room.

Detail, Interior of Independence Hall, 1856 by Max Rosenthal. NPS photo.

After the death of Peale in 1828, the second floor of the State House was then leased for use as courtrooms and offices. In early 1816, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sold the State House to the City of Philadelphia, with a contract signed by the governor. In 1898, the Mills wings were removed and replaced with replicas of the originals, but the Strickland steeple was left in place. About 1920, the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects began to take an active interest in Independence Hall and restored structural weaknesses. In 1948, the building's interior was restored to its original appearance and Independence National Historical Park was also established by the 80th U.S. Congress later that year to preserve historical sites associated with the American Revolution.10 Today, the building now known as Independence Hall is the heart of the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which was listed in the in the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

10Independence Hall, World Heritage Committee. Independence Hall's History, 2010, http://www.globalmountainsummit.org/independence-hall.html.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Childs, Cephas Grier, Thomas Birch, Thomas Sully, George Strickland, Thomas Doughty, J. R. Watson, et al., Views in Philadelphia, and its vicinity; engraved from original drawings. Philadelphia: C.G. Childs, 1827. Independence Hall. World Heritage Committee. Independence Hall's History. 2010. http://www.globalmountainsummit.org/independence-hall.html. National Historical Park Pennsylvania. NPS.gov. https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/index.htm.

IMAGE CREDITS

“Andrew Hamilton.” Painting by Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller - The Bridgeman Art Library, Object 202058. “Detail of A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent, depicting the State House as it appeared in 1752.” N. Scull and G. Heap. This image from the American Memory Collections is available from the United States Library of Congress's Geography & Map Division. Digital ID g3824p ct000294. Public Domain. “Detail, Interior of Independence Hall, 1856.” Painting by Max Rosenthal. NPS photo. “Drawing of the Old State House.” 1732. Attributed to master builder Edmund Woolley. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. “State House” 1753, 1776, 1824, 1898. Illustrations by James Mulcahy. NPS images. National Park Service. “Independence Hall Interiors.” Photos by S. E. Florek. 2020.