Carpenters' Hall

Description

The Carpenters’ Company is the oldest surviving craft guild in the United States and the original builders of historic Carpenters’ Hall from 1770-1773. Carpenters’ Hall has remained their headquarters and its preservation their focus through four centuries; it is also where the battle for American Independence began as it served as the host site for the First Continental Congress in 1774.

The Founding Fathers' involvement with the Hall continued to be significant throughout the Revolution as it served as a hospital to both American and British troops, an armory depot, the office of first Secretary of War Henry Knox, and as the 1775 meeting place for Benjamin Franklin and French spy Julien Achard de Bonvouloir that established the Franco-American Alliance so crucial in winning the war. Dr. Benjamin Franklin was a longtime tenant, housing his Library Company of Philadelphia and the American Philosophical Society at the Hall for almost 20 years. Both the First and Second Banks of the United States briefly occupied the Hall, and the Company established the first school of architecture within its walls in 1834. Carpenters’ Hall has affected the history of the city, the state, and the nation. The Carpenters’ Company chooses to share this narrative with over 120,000 visitors yearly, free of admission.

As a result of the Hall having earned an honorable position within the narrative of American history, the Company voted to restore the Hall as a historic monument in 1857.  It was the first privately owned building in the United States to be opened free to the public as a historic landmark.

Distance from Independence Visitor Center: 0.25 miles
Distance from Sister Cities Visitor Center: 1.33 miles
Distance from Pennsylvania Convention Center: 0.75 miles