Editing Independence Hall (section)

=== Design and Construction ===

The history of Independence Hall dates to 1729, when the Pennsylvania Assembly authorized construction of "a House for the Assembly of this Province to meet in." Approximately 2,000 pounds sterling was committed to the project, and a committee including Thomas Lawrence, John Kearsley, and Assembly Speaker Andrew Hamilton was charged with selecting a site, acquiring plans, and contracting construction.<ref name="ushistory">{{cite web |url=https://www.ushistory.org/tour/independence-hall.htm |title=Historic Philadelphia Tour: Independence Hall |publisher=ushistory.org |access-date=December 22, 2025}}</ref>

Hamilton, a prominent attorney famous for his successful 1735 defense of Peter Zenger in the landmark freedom-of-the-press case, served as the guiding force behind the building's design. His plans closely resembled architectural pattern-book designs for English country houses. Hamilton and William Allen (later chief justice of the Province of Pennsylvania) were named trustees and authorized to purchase land for the proposed state house. By October 1730, they had acquired lots on Chestnut Street for the building's construction.<ref name="encyclopedia">{{cite web |url=https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/independence-hall/ |title=Independence Hall |publisher=Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia |access-date=December 22, 2025}}</ref>

Construction proceeded as funds became available, resulting in piecemeal completion over two decades. Master builder Edmund Woolley supervised the actual construction. By 1741, Hamilton had died and funding had run out, leaving the project incomplete. The Assembly Room received its interior finish in 1742, and by 1749 the rest of the building stood complete, including an octagonal cupola on the rooftop. In 1750, the Assembly ordered construction of a structure to house a new staircase and "a suitable place thereon for hanging a bell." Edmund Woolley again supervised this work, and by mid-1753 the steeple was complete enough to raise the bell—now known as the [[Liberty Bell]]—to its place.<ref name="nps-history"/>