![]() The 40-foot-tall (12 m) limestone base was capped with a 14-foot (4.3 m) wooden case surrounding the clock's face, which was carved by cabinetmaker Samuel Harding. In 1753, Stretch erected a giant clock at the building's west end that resembled a tall clock ( grandfather clock). In 1752, when Isaac Norris was selecting a man to build the first clock for the State House he chose Thomas Stretch, the son of Peter Stretch his old friend and fellow council member, to do the job. It was initially inhabited by the colonial government of Pennsylvania as its State House, from 1732 to 1799. Its construction was commissioned by the Pennsylvania colonial legislature which paid for construction as funds were available, so it was finished piecemeal. The State House was built between 17, designed by Edmund Woolley and Andrew Hamilton, and built by Woolley. The highest point to the tip of the steeple spire is 168 feet 7 + 1⁄ 4 inches (51.391 m) above the ground. It consists of a central building with belltower and steeple, attached to two smaller wings via arcaded hyphens. Independence Hall has a red brick facade, designed in Georgian style. Ground was broken for construction soon after. ![]() On August 14, the assembly sided with Hamilton, granting him full control over the project, and the site on the south side of Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets was chosen as the location. Three days later, Hamilton showed his plans for the state house to the assembly, which accepted them. He explained that Kearsley did not approve of his plans for the state house's location and architecture and went on to insist the assembly had not agreed to these decisions. On August 8, 1733, Hamilton brought the matter before the Provincial Assembly. The disagreements reached a point where arbitration was needed. The two men also disagreed on the building's site Kearsley suggested High Street, now Market Street, and Hamilton favored Chestnut Street. Peter's Church, had plans for the design, but so did Hamilton. Kearsley, who is credited with the designs of both Christ Church and St. Kearsley and Hamilton disagreed on a number of issues concerning the state house. 2 from surveyor David Powell, who had been paid for his work with the lot, tensions were rising among the committee members. ![]() īy 1732, even though Hamilton had acquired the deed for Lot no. By October 1730 they had begun purchasing lots on Chestnut Street. Hamilton and his future son-in-law William Allen, later chief justice of the province, were named trustees of the purchasing and building fund with authorization to buy the land for the proposed state house. A committee composed of Thomas Lawrence, John Kearsley, and Andrew Hamilton was charged with the responsibility of selecting a site for construction, acquiring plans for the building, and contracting a company for construction of the building. The image shows the original bell tower, which lacked a clock.īy the spring of 1729, the citizens of Philadelphia were petitioning to be allowed to build a state house 2,000 pounds sterling were committed to the endeavor. ĭetail of A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent, depicting the State House as it appeared in 1752. It was the principal meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783 and was the site of the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787.Ī convention held in Independence Hall in 1915, presided over by former US president William Howard Taft, marked the formal announcement of the formation of the League to Enforce Peace, which led to the League of Nations in 1920 and the United Nations, a quarter century later. The building was completed in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House and served as the capitol for the Province and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until the state capital moved to Lancaster in 1799. The structure forms the centerpiece of the Independence National Historical Park and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in which both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers. Independence Hall (the United States) Show map of the United States
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