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Landmarks Between Society Hill Sheraton and Liberty View Ballroom

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Landmarks Between Society Hill Sheraton and Liberty View Ballroom Landmarks between Society Hill Sheraton and Liberty View Ballroom OPENING RECEPTION 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 HOTEL 2 1 1. Society Hill Towers 2. Dock Street 3. City Tavern 4. Merchants’ Exchange Building 5. First Bank of the United States 6. Carpenter’s Hall 7. Second Bank of the United States 8. Independence Hall 9. The Liberty Bell 10. Presidents’ House Site 1. Society Hill Towers - During the Colonial era, this section of Philadelphia was referred to as "Society's Hill." The name was derived from the Free Society of Traders, an early form of stock exchange, which had offices and warehouses on nearby Front Street. The area had always been a commercial district. Just prior to the Towers' development, it was the site of the main wholesale fruit and produce center for the city of Philadelphia. In the late 1950s, Society Hill was targeted for restoration by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, in cooperation with the Redevelopment Authority. Part of the restoration included the construction of Society Hill Towers and a group of adjacent town houses, all designed by architect I. M. Pei. The project earned the Progressive Architecture Award for Design, in 1961. The buildings were completed in 1963. They are currently condominiums. (http://www.societyhilltowers.com/) 2. Dock Street - Within the old incorporated city of Philadelphia — the city proper as it was once called — every street is laid out at right angles with another except one. This is Dock Street, which takes a curving or irregular course, from southeast to northwest, between the vicinity of Spruce Street and comes to an end at Third Street, in front of the old Bank of the United States. The area which Dock Street now covers was once a stream or indentation of the Delaware River and was sometimes described as a spacious cove or "harbor." The reason why the name of Dock Creek was given to it was that they expected it to become a permanent dock. In the early days of Penn’s city, Dock Creek was clean and pleasant, and attracted the homes of wealthy families, as well as a number of businesses and industries to its banks. The industries, however, such as breweries and tanneries, ended up polluting the creek until it was no longer an appealing place to live or do business. It is thought that one early Yellow Fever outbreak in Philadelphia had its origins in the vicinity of the creek. (http://www.ushistory.org/philadelphia/street_dock.htm) By 1820, the entire creek had been covered and converted to a sewer. (Wikipedia) 3. City Tavern - The Tavern was completed in 1773, and at the time was one of the most elegant buildings in the city. Second Street was a main thoroughfare and City Tavern was constructed in the latest architectural style and stood three stories high. Inside, it "boasted" of several large club rooms, two of which could open into one to make a spacious room of nearly fifty feet in length, for public entertainment. There were "several commodious lodging rooms, for the accommodation of strangers, two large kitchens, and every other convenience for the purpose." In addition, there was a Bar and also a Coffee Room, which was supplied with British and American newspapers and magazines. An 18th century tavern was much more than a place to quench one's thirst. In towns and cities where there were no office buildings, banks, stock exchanges, or convention centers, and where most men worked in their homes or in small offices, taverns served all these functions. Food and drink were, of course, served, but taverns were also the cities' central meeting places. When John Adams arrived in Philadelphia in August of 1774, to attend the First Continental Congress, he was greeted by leading citizens and immediately taken to the tavern he would call "the most genteel tavern in America." A few months earlier, Paul Revere had ridden up to the Tavern with the news of the closing of the port of Boston by the British Government. It became the practice of the members of the Second Continental Congress to dine together each Saturday at the Tavern. Eight of the delegates, Randolph, Lee, Washington, Harrison of Virginia, Alsop of New York, Chase of Maryland, and Rodney and Read of Delaware chose to form a "table" and dine there daily. You can now enjoy a fine, authentic, 18th century-style meal and drinks at the tavern and be a part of its historical legacy. (http://www.citytavern.com/history.html) 4. Merchants’ Exchange Building - Built between 1832 and 1834, the Merchants' Exchange Building, also known as the Philadelphia Exchange, is located on the triangular site bounded by Dock Street, Third Street, and Walnut Streets. This monumental office building was designed by William Strickland and is an exquisite expression of the Greek Revival style, the first national American architectural style. The ideals of Greek democracy were attractive to citizens of the American Republic and provided the best model for American architects to emulate as a national style. Upon its completion, the building soon became the financial center for Philadelphia housing commercial houses, marine insurance companies, the Philadelphia Board of Trade, and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. Located on the Dock Street side of the building, the United States Post Office occupied a large room and was the first in the country to sell stamps. In 1952, the National Park Service acquired the building and began a series of projects to restore and preserve the structure. The building was recently renovated as the park's headquarters. (http://www.nps.gov/inde/merchants-exchange.htm) 5. First Bank of the United States - The First Bank of the United States—originally called the Bank of the United States—operated from 1797-1811, on Third Street, midway between Chestnut and Walnut streets. Samuel Blodgett, Jr., merchant, author, publicist, promoter, architect, and "Superintendent of Buildings" for the new capital in Washington, DC, designed the building in 1794. 1 At its completion in 1797, the bank won wide acclaim as an architectural master piece. By today's standards the building remains a notable early example of Classical monumental design. After being vacated in 1929, the bank building languished until the National Park Service purchased it in 1955 as part of Independence National Historical Park. Between 1974 and 1976 the Park restored the building's eighteenth century exterior appearance and retained its 1902 interior remodeling. (http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/butowsky2/constitution5.htm) 6. Carpenter’s Hall - Carpenters' Hall hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774 and was home to Franklin's Library Company, The American Philosophical Society, and the First and Second Banks of the United States. Today, Carpenters' Hall is open to the public and welcomes over 150,000 world-wide visitors. The Hall has been continuously owned and operated by The Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia, the oldest trade guild in America, since 1770. Today it is also part of Independence National Historical Park. (http://www.carpentershall.org/) 7. Second Bank of the United States - Designed by William Strickland, this building, built between 1819 and 1824, is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States. The Second Bank was incorporated in 1816 and was one of the most influential financial institutions in the world until 1832, when it became the center of bitter controversy between bank president Nicholas Biddle and President Andrew Jackson. The bank ceased to exist in 1836 after Jackson vetoed the bill to renew its charter. The building continued for a short time to house a banking institution under a Pennsylvania charter. From 1845 to 1935 the building served as the Philadelphia Customs House. Currently, The Portrait Gallery in the Second Bank of the United States houses an exhibit called "People of Independence," which includes 185 paintings of Colonial and Federal leaders, military officers, explorers, and scientists, including many by Charles Willson Peale. (http://www.nps.gov/inde/second-bank.htm) 8. Independence Hall - Independence Hall is the birthplace of America. The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both debated and signed inside this building. Built between 1732 and 1756 to be the Pennsylvania State House, the building originally housed all three branches of Pennsylvania's colonial government. The Pennsylvania legislature loaned their Assembly Room out for the meetings of the Second Continental Congress and later, the Constitutional Convention. Here, George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in 1775, the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, and Benjamin Franklin gazed upon the "Rising Sun" chair in 1787. The Supreme Court and Congress met in the buildings to the east and west of independence hall, respectively. (http://www.nps.gov/inde/historyculture/places-independencehall.htm) 9. The Liberty Bell - The State House bell, now known as the Liberty Bell, rang in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House. Today, we call that building Independence Hall. Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly Isaac Norris first ordered a bell for the bell tower in 1751 from the Whitechapel Foundry in London. That bell cracked on the first test ring. Local metalworkers John Pass and John Stow melted down that bell and cast a new one right here in Philadelphia. It's this bell that would ring to call lawmakers to their meetings and the townspeople together to hear the reading of the news. It's not until the 1830's that the old State House bell would begin to take on significance as a symbol of liberty. The Liberty Bell's inscription is from Leviticus 25:10: "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof." In the 19th century, the bell's inscription provided a rallying cry for abolitionists wishing to end slavery.
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