Independence Hall and the rooms where a new nation took shape

Independence Hall in Philadelphia is a Georgian brick state house where delegates from the thirteen colonies debated and adopted both the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the United States Constitution in 1787. The building, originally known as the Pennsylvania State House, was completed in 1753 and later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, anchoring Independence National Historical Park with a modest civic exterior that belies the weight of the decisions taken inside.

The eighteenth?century Pennsylvania State House

Independence Hall began life as the Pennsylvania State House, authorised by the colonial Assembly in the early eighteenth century to give the province a formal seat of government on Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets in what was then the western edge of Philadelphia. Construction started in 1732 under the supervision of Assembly speaker Andrew Hamilton, with master builder Edmund Woolley responsible for the plans and day?to?day work on the brick structure.Construction started in 1732 The main block of the building was laid out as a long central hall flanked by rooms, with covered walkways leading to matching wing buildings that completed a balanced composition along the street.

The building took its final eighteenth?century form in stages, with the central hall and council rooms in use before the tower and steeple were added to the south façade around the middle of the century.As originally designed and built, Independence Hall had no tower or steeple By the time the work was regarded as finished in 1753, the Pennsylvania State House stood as a substantial public building in brick, with stone trim and a timber steeple designed to hold a large bell that would call legislators and townspeople to attention.Begun in 1732 and finished in 1753

Georgian architecture behind a brick façade

Architecturally, Independence Hall is a clear example of Georgian style as it developed in the North American colonies, with a symmetrical frontage, evenly spaced windows and classical proportions expressed in brick and stone.It is an example of American Georgian architecture The main block is a long, rectangular volume topped by a pitched roof, while the wings extend to either side and frame the approach from Chestnut Street, giving the ensemble a measured rhythm that reflected British architectural taste of the period. Decorative elements such as keystones, cornices and stone quoins stand out against the red brick, adding texture without overwhelming the façade.

The interior plan follows the same orderly approach, with a central passage running front to back and important rooms placed to either side. One of these, known as the Assembly Room, served as the chamber of the colonial legislature and later hosted the most significant debates of the revolutionary era.Built to be the Pennsylvania State House, the building originally housed all three branches of Pennsylvania's colonial government The tower above the south entrance rises from the central axis of the building, carrying a clock face and culminating in the steeple that once housed the Liberty Bell, linking the architectural silhouette of the hall directly with the symbolism of American independence.The bell tower steeple of Independence Hall was the original home of the Liberty Bell

The birthplace of American independence

Independence Hall is most closely associated with the years when representatives of the thirteen colonies met in its Assembly Room as the Continental Congress. The Second Continental Congress began meeting in the Pennsylvania State House in May 1775, using space lent by the Pennsylvania legislature while delegates debated how to respond to the worsening conflict with Britain.The Second Continental Congress convened in the Pennsylvania State House It was in this chamber that George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army and where the delegates agreed on the text of the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration was adopted in the Pennsylvania State House on 4 July 1776, turning a brick provincial government building into the site of a political break that would reshape the map of North America.The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both debated and signed inside this building Just over a decade later, from late May to mid?September 1787, delegates returned to the same hall for the Constitutional Convention, working behind closed doors on the document that established the federal framework of the United States.From May 25 to September 17, 1787, the Pennsylvania State House hosted the Constitutional Convention Independence Hall is therefore one of the few places where both the founding charter of a nation and its constitutional system were debated and adopted within the same walls.Signing of United States of America’s Declaration of Independence (1776) and Constitution (1787)

Visiting Independence Hall: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Independence Hall stands on Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets in central Philadelphia, within Independence National Historical Park, and is reached on foot or by public transport serving the historic district.
• The approach from Chestnut Street leads across paved ground into the entrance beneath the tower, and access inside involves moving through historic rooms with staircases and passages that reflect eighteenth?century building layout.
• The official language is English and the currency is the United States dollar.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Independence Hall

Where is Independence Hall located?

Independence Hall stands on Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets in central Philadelphia, within Independence National Historical Park.

What should visitors expect inside Independence Hall?

Visitors encounter eighteenth?century civic interiors, including the Assembly Room where the Continental Congress met and where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated and adopted.

What makes Independence Hall distinctive among historic buildings?

Independence Hall is distinctive as the former Pennsylvania State House whose Assembly Room hosted both the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the drafting of the United States Constitution, giving a single building a dual constitutional legacy.