fbpx
Wikipedia

Carpenters' Hall

January 01, 1970

Carpenters' Hall, in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the official birthplace of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a key meeting place in the early history of the United States. Completed in 1775,[4] the two-story brick meeting hall was built for and still privately owned by the Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia, the country's oldest extant craft guild.

Carpenters' Hall
Carpenters' Hall in May 2015
Location320 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates39°56′53″N 75°08′50″W / 39.9481°N 75.1472°W / 39.9481; -75.1472
Built1775[1]
ArchitectRobert Smith
Architectural styleGeorgian
NRHP reference No.70000552
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 15, 1970[2]
Designated NHLApril 15, 1970[3]

The First Continental Congress met at the building in 1774 and passed and signed the Continental Association. In June 1776, it was where the Pennsylvania Provincial Conference officially declared the Province of Pennsylvania's independence from the British Empire and established the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, mobilized the Pennsylvania militia for the American Revolutionary War, set up the machinery for the Pennsylvania Provincial Convention from July 15 to September 28 in 1776, which framed the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 and enabled the Declaration of Independence to be written and ultimately adopted. It was briefly occupied in 1777 by the British Army during the war.

The site was designated a National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970. On November 30, 1982, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission succeeded in passing Pennsylvania General Assembly 166(R) HR180 to recognize "Carpenters' Hall as the official birthplace of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania".

The building is free to enter and receives 120,000 visitors per year.[5] Numerous dignitaries have visited Carpenters' Hall, including Supreme Court of the United States Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Czech Republic President Václav Havel, Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis, Texas governor and future U.S. President George W. Bush, and Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge.[4]

History edit

 
An 1891 illustration of Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia
 
Carpeneters' Company frontispiece
 
Carpenters' Hall
 
Historic American Buildings Survey's elevation and plans, circa 1898
 
A 1905 postcard of Carpenters' Hall
 
Carpenters' Hall commemorative stamp issued on the 200th anniversary in 1974

The land on which Carpenters' Hall is built was purchased on behalf of the Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia in 1768 by Benjamin Loxley, Robert Smith, and Thomas Nevell.[6] The hall was designed by Robert Smith in the Georgian style[7] based on both the town halls of Scotland, where Smith was born, and the villas of Palladio in Italy.[1] The carpenters' guild held their first meeting there on January 21, 1771, and continued to do so until 1777 when the British Army captured Philadelphia.[4] On April 23, 1773, which was Saint George's Day, it was used for the founding meeting of the St. George Society of Philadelphia.[4][8]

The First Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies of North America met at Carpenters Hall from September 5 to October 26, 1774, as the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, was being used by the moderate Provincial Assembly of Pennsylvania. It was here that Congress resolved to ban further imports of slaves and to discontinue the slave trade within the colonies, a step toward phasing out slavery in British North America.[9] It also passed and signed the Continental Association. In June, 1776, it was where the Pennsylvania Provincial Conference officially declared the Province of Pennsylvania's independence from the British Empire and established the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,[10] mobilized the Pennsylvania militia for the American Revolutionary War, set up the machinery for the Pennsylvania Provincial Convention from July 15 to September 28 in 1776, which framed the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 and enabled the Declaration of Independence to be written and ultimately adopted. It was briefly occupied in 1777 by the British Army during the war.

The meeting hall served as a hospital for both British and American troops in the American Revolutionary War, and other Philadelphia institutions have held meetings in Carpenters' Hall, including Ben Franklin's Library Company of Philadelphia, the American Philosophical Society, and the First and Second Banks of the United States.

Carpenters Hall was the site of the 1798 Bank of Pennsylvania heist.[11][12]

The federal Custom House in Philadelphia was located at Carpenters' Hall between 1802 and 1819, except for a brief interruption between January and April, 1811.[13]

In 1970, Carpenters' Hall was declared a National Historic Landmark.[14]

On November 30, 1982, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission passed Pennsylvania General Assembly 166(R) HR180 to recognize Carpenters' Hall as the official birthplace of Pennsylvania.[15]

In 2022, a fire in the basement of the building was suspected to be arson; at the time, the building was closed for renovations.[14]

Construction and design edit

The Carpenters Company was founded in 1724, but had no meeting house of their own, resorting to rented tavern rooms for their meetings. Carpenters Company members finally selected a new building site in 1768 on Chestnut Street, a few hundred feet from Benjamin Franklin's home. Robert Smith submitted the plans for the design, but did not supervise the construction of the hall. The decision to proceed with construction was made January 30, 1770. Construction was completed in August 1774.[16]

Inscription edit

Over the south door of Carpenters' Hall reads the following inscription:

Within these Walls Henry, Hancock, & Adams inspired the Delegates of the Colonies With Verve and Sinew for the Toils of War

Inscription over south doorway of Assembly Room[17]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Gallery, John Andrew, ed. (2004), Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City (2nd ed.), Philadelphia: Foundation for Architecture, ISBN 0962290815, p.29
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
  3. ^ . National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d "Timeline of Carpenters' Hall".
  5. ^ "CARPENTERS' HALL". Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.
  6. ^ Moss, Roger W.; Tatman, Sandra L. "Loxley, Benjamin (1720–1801) Master Builder". philadelphiabuildings.org. Philadelphia Architects and Buildings. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  7. ^ "Architectural elements"
  8. ^ J. Thomas Scharf and Thompson Westcott. 1884. History of Philadelphia, 1609–1884, Philadelphia: L. H. Everts & Co., Vol. I, p. 233.
  9. ^ Toogood, Anna Coxe (September 2000). "National Register Amendment". National Park Service.
  10. ^ "Timeline". www.carpentershall.org. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  11. ^ Avery, Ron. "America's First Bank Robbery". Carpenters' Hall.
  12. ^ HUNT, KRISTIN (August 31, 2023). "The first major bank heist in America happened 225 years ago in Philly — and the wrong guy went to prison". PhillyVoice.
  13. ^ Three Centuries of Custom Houses. Washington, D.C.: National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. 1972. pp. 151–2.
  14. ^ a b Hughes, Travis (December 29, 2022). "Arson Investigation Underway at Historic Carpenters' Hall in Old City Philadelphia". WCAU.
  15. ^ "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Legislative Journal" (PDF). November 30, 1982.
  16. ^ Peterson, Charles E. Robert Smith: Architect, Builder, Patriot, 1722–1777. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia: 2000. 112–116.
  17. ^ "Carpenters' Company Hall" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 5. Retrieved September 16, 2023.

External links edit

Listen to this article (4 minutes)
 
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 1 November 2018 (2018-11-01), and does not reflect subsequent edits.
(Audio help · More spoken articles)
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carpenters' Hall.
  • Carpenters' Hall homepage
  • Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-1398, "Carpenters' Company Hall", 10 photos, 1 color transparency, 3 measured drawings, 11 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
  • Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-1398-D, "Carpenters' Company, Rule Book (carpentry manual)", 39 photos, 1 photo caption page
  • The Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia published 1887

January 01, 1970
carpenters, hall, independence, national, historical, park, philadelphia, pennsylvania, official, birthplace, commonwealth, pennsylvania, meeting, place, early, history, united, states, completed, 1775, story, brick, meeting, hall, built, still, privately, own. Carpenters Hall in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia Pennsylvania is the official birthplace of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a key meeting place in the early history of the United States Completed in 1775 4 the two story brick meeting hall was built for and still privately owned by the Carpenters Company of the City and County of Philadelphia the country s oldest extant craft guild Carpenters HallU S National Register of Historic PlacesU S National Historic LandmarkU S Historic districtContributing propertyCarpenters Hall in May 2015Location320 Chestnut StreetPhiladelphia Pennsylvania U S Coordinates39 56 53 N 75 08 50 W 39 9481 N 75 1472 W 39 9481 75 1472Built1775 1 ArchitectRobert SmithArchitectural styleGeorgianNRHP reference No 70000552Significant datesAdded to NRHPApril 15 1970 2 Designated NHLApril 15 1970 3 The First Continental Congress met at the building in 1774 and passed and signed the Continental Association In June 1776 it was where the Pennsylvania Provincial Conference officially declared the Province of Pennsylvania s independence from the British Empire and established the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania mobilized the Pennsylvania militia for the American Revolutionary War set up the machinery for the Pennsylvania Provincial Convention from July 15 to September 28 in 1776 which framed the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 and enabled the Declaration of Independence to be written and ultimately adopted It was briefly occupied in 1777 by the British Army during the war The site was designated a National Historic Landmark on April 15 1970 On November 30 1982 the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission succeeded in passing Pennsylvania General Assembly 166 R HR180 to recognize Carpenters Hall as the official birthplace of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania The building is free to enter and receives 120 000 visitors per year 5 Numerous dignitaries have visited Carpenters Hall including Supreme Court of the United States Chief Justice Warren E Burger King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis Texas governor and future U S President George W Bush and Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge 4 Contents 1 History 2 Construction and design 3 Inscription 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistory edit nbsp An 1891 illustration of Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia nbsp Carpeneters Company frontispiece nbsp Carpenters Hall nbsp Historic American Buildings Survey s elevation and plans circa 1898 nbsp A 1905 postcard of Carpenters Hall nbsp Carpenters Hall commemorative stamp issued on the 200th anniversary in 1974 The land on which Carpenters Hall is built was purchased on behalf of the Carpenters Company of Philadelphia in 1768 by Benjamin Loxley Robert Smith and Thomas Nevell 6 The hall was designed by Robert Smith in the Georgian style 7 based on both the town halls of Scotland where Smith was born and the villas of Palladio in Italy 1 The carpenters guild held their first meeting there on January 21 1771 and continued to do so until 1777 when the British Army captured Philadelphia 4 On April 23 1773 which was Saint George s Day it was used for the founding meeting of the St George Society of Philadelphia 4 8 The First Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies of North America met at Carpenters Hall from September 5 to October 26 1774 as the Pennsylvania State House later renamed Independence Hall was being used by the moderate Provincial Assembly of Pennsylvania It was here that Congress resolved to ban further imports of slaves and to discontinue the slave trade within the colonies a step toward phasing out slavery in British North America 9 It also passed and signed the Continental Association In June 1776 it was where the Pennsylvania Provincial Conference officially declared the Province of Pennsylvania s independence from the British Empire and established the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 10 mobilized the Pennsylvania militia for the American Revolutionary War set up the machinery for the Pennsylvania Provincial Convention from July 15 to September 28 in 1776 which framed the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 and enabled the Declaration of Independence to be written and ultimately adopted It was briefly occupied in 1777 by the British Army during the war The meeting hall served as a hospital for both British and American troops in the American Revolutionary War and other Philadelphia institutions have held meetings in Carpenters Hall including Ben Franklin s Library Company of Philadelphia the American Philosophical Society and the First and Second Banks of the United States Carpenters Hall was the site of the 1798 Bank of Pennsylvania heist 11 12 The federal Custom House in Philadelphia was located at Carpenters Hall between 1802 and 1819 except for a brief interruption between January and April 1811 13 In 1970 Carpenters Hall was declared a National Historic Landmark 14 On November 30 1982 the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission passed Pennsylvania General Assembly 166 R HR180 to recognize Carpenters Hall as the official birthplace of Pennsylvania 15 In 2022 a fire in the basement of the building was suspected to be arson at the time the building was closed for renovations 14 Construction and design editThe Carpenters Company was founded in 1724 but had no meeting house of their own resorting to rented tavern rooms for their meetings Carpenters Company members finally selected a new building site in 1768 on Chestnut Street a few hundred feet from Benjamin Franklin s home Robert Smith submitted the plans for the design but did not supervise the construction of the hall The decision to proceed with construction was made January 30 1770 Construction was completed in August 1774 16 Inscription editOver the south door of Carpenters Hall reads the following inscription Within these Walls Henry Hancock amp Adams inspired the Delegates of the Colonies With Verve and Sinew for the Toils of War Inscription over south doorway of Assembly Room 17 See also edit nbsp Philadelphia portal nbsp Architecture portal Continental Association the 1774 founding document and system created by the First Continental Congress for implementing a trade boycott with Great Britain List of National Historic Landmarks in Philadelphia National Register of Historic Places listings in Center City Philadelphia Founding Fathers of the United StatesReferences edit a b Gallery John Andrew ed 2004 Philadelphia Architecture A Guide to the City 2nd ed Philadelphia Foundation for Architecture ISBN 0962290815 p 29 National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service March 15 2006 Carpenters Hall National Historic Landmark summary listing National Park Service Archived from the original on October 10 2012 Retrieved January 4 2008 a b c d Timeline of Carpenters Hall CARPENTERS HALL Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau Moss Roger W Tatman Sandra L Loxley Benjamin 1720 1801 Master Builder philadelphiabuildings org Philadelphia Architects and Buildings Retrieved April 23 2019 Architectural elements J Thomas Scharf and Thompson Westcott 1884 History of Philadelphia 1609 1884 Philadelphia L H Everts amp Co Vol I p 233 Toogood Anna Coxe September 2000 National Register Amendment National Park Service Timeline www carpentershall org Retrieved August 17 2022 Avery Ron America s First Bank Robbery Carpenters Hall HUNT KRISTIN August 31 2023 The first major bank heist in America happened 225 years ago in Philly and the wrong guy went to prison PhillyVoice Three Centuries of Custom Houses Washington D C National Society of the Colonial Dames of America 1972 pp 151 2 a b Hughes Travis December 29 2022 Arson Investigation Underway at Historic Carpenters Hall in Old City Philadelphia WCAU Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Legislative Journal PDF November 30 1982 Peterson Charles E Robert Smith Architect Builder Patriot 1722 1777 The Athenaeum of Philadelphia 2000 112 116 Carpenters Company Hall PDF Historic American Buildings Survey Washington D C Library of Congress p 5 Retrieved September 16 2023 External links editListen to this article 4 minutes source source source nbsp This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 1 November 2018 2018 11 01 and does not reflect subsequent edits Audio help More spoken articles nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carpenters Hall Carpenters Hall homepage Historic American Buildings Survey HABS No PA 1398 Carpenters Company Hall 10 photos 1 color transparency 3 measured drawings 11 data pages 2 photo caption pages Historic American Buildings Survey HABS No PA 1398 D Carpenters Company Rule Book carpentry manual 39 photos 1 photo caption page The Carpenters Company of the City and County of Philadelphia published 1887 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Carpenters 27 Hall amp oldid 1211244347, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.