Carpenters Hall

Carpenters' Hall is a historic building located at 320 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood. Built between 1770 and 1774 as the guildhall of the Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia, the building is best known as the meeting site of the First Continental Congress in September and October 1774. This gathering of delegates from twelve colonies (Georgia did not attend) represented the first unified colonial response to British policies and set the stage for the American Revolution. Carpenters' Hall remains the property of the Carpenters' Company, making it one of the few colonial-era buildings still owned by its original organization. The building is open to the public free of charge and offers visitors a glimpse into the origins of American self-governance.

The Carpenters' Company

The Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia was established in 1724 as a guild and professional organization for master builders and architects. Modeled on similar organizations in London, the Company sought to establish standards for construction, provide mutual aid to members and their families, and maintain a library of architectural books and plans. Members included many of the leading builders of colonial Philadelphia, and the Company's influence shaped the city's architectural development. The decision to construct a permanent meeting hall in the late 1760s reflected the Company's prosperity and its desire for a dignified space in which to conduct business and host meetings.

Construction of Carpenters' Hall began in 1770 under the direction of Robert Smith, a leading Philadelphia architect and member of the Company. Smith designed a Georgian-style building featuring a cruciform plan (cross-shaped), red brick walls, a cupola atop the roof, and elegant interior woodwork showcasing the skills of the Company's members. The building served multiple purposes from its completion: the first floor housed the Company's meeting room and a public space available for rent, while the second floor contained the Company's library of architectural books. This combination of private guild functions and public rental space would prove consequential when delegates arrived seeking a venue for the Continental Congress.

First Continental Congress

In September 1774, delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies gathered in Philadelphia to coordinate their response to the Intolerable Acts, a series of punitive measures Parliament had imposed on Massachusetts following the Boston Tea Party. The delegates needed a meeting place, and two options emerged: the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), offered by the conservative colonial assembly, and Carpenters' Hall, offered by the more radical Carpenters' Company. The choice of venue carried political implications; selecting the State House would suggest cooperation with Pennsylvania's cautious establishment, while choosing Carpenters' Hall aligned the Congress with more assertive resistance to British policies.

The Congress chose Carpenters' Hall, meeting there from September 5 to October 26, 1774. The fifty-six delegates included many future leaders of the Revolution: George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Jay, and others. They debated colonial rights, organized an economic boycott of British goods, drafted a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, and agreed to reconvene the following year if their concerns were not addressed. The Congress stopped short of calling for independence—that would come two years later—but it established the framework for unified colonial action and demonstrated that the colonies could work together against British imperial policies. The building where these deliberations occurred thus holds a special place in the history of American self-governance.

Revolutionary Era Activities

Carpenters' Hall continued to play significant roles throughout the Revolutionary period. After the First Continental Congress adjourned, the building housed various patriotic activities, including meetings of committees organizing resistance to British policies. The Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Benjamin Franklin, temporarily relocated to Carpenters' Hall, and the American Philosophical Society also met there. During the British occupation of Philadelphia (September 1777 to June 1778), British forces used the building as a hospital, though the Carpenters' Company's records and library were hidden to prevent confiscation or destruction.

The building also served as the first home of the First Bank of the United States. When Congress chartered the bank in 1791, it initially operated from Carpenters' Hall while its permanent headquarters on Third Street was under construction. Alexander Hamilton's financial system thus took shape in the same room where the First Continental Congress had met seventeen years earlier, connecting two foundational moments in American political and economic history. The bank's tenure at Carpenters' Hall lasted until 1797, when it moved to its new building (now also a historic site open to the public).

Preservation and Restoration

The Carpenters' Company has maintained continuous ownership of Carpenters' Hall since its construction, making the building unusual among colonial landmarks in remaining with its original organization. This continuity has ensured the building's preservation, though it has also meant that alterations and updates occurred over the centuries according to the Company's needs rather than historical preservation standards. In the 1850s, the Company undertook a major restoration to return the building to something closer to its 18th-century appearance, removing later additions and restoring original architectural features.

The building underwent additional restoration in preparation for the United States Bicentennial in 1976, when renewed interest in Revolutionary-era sites brought millions of visitors to Philadelphia. The interior first-floor room has been restored to approximate its appearance during the First Continental Congress, with reproduction furnishings based on historical research. The second floor retains its function as the Carpenters' Company's meeting space and library, continuing traditions that stretch back to the colonial period. The Company continues to operate as a professional organization, maintaining membership standards and participating in civic activities, while also stewarding one of Philadelphia's most significant historic sites.

Visiting Carpenters' Hall

Carpenters' Hall is open to the public free of charge, offering visitors the opportunity to stand in the room where the First Continental Congress debated the future of colonial America. The building is located on Chestnut Street, accessible through a small courtyard that provides a moment of quiet amid the busy streets of Old City. Hours vary seasonally, and the building may be closed for private events or during winter months; visitors should check current hours before planning a visit. Unlike Independence Hall, Carpenters' Hall does not require timed tickets or advance reservations, making it an easy addition to a tour of Independence National Historical Park.

The interior displays artifacts related to the First Continental Congress and the Carpenters' Company's history, including chairs used by delegates, a reproduction of the president's chair, and examples of the Company's collection of early American tools and architectural books. Interpreters are available to answer questions and provide context for the building's history. The courtyard area includes markers identifying the site of Benjamin Franklin's printing office and other historic locations in the immediate vicinity. For visitors seeking to understand the origins of American independence, Carpenters' Hall offers an intimate, less crowded alternative to the larger sites of Independence National Historical Park.

Architectural Significance

Carpenters' Hall is recognized as one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in Philadelphia. The building's cruciform plan, unusual for American colonial architecture, may have been influenced by English guild halls that Robert Smith encountered in architectural pattern books. The exterior features Flemish bond brickwork, a pedimented doorway, and a graceful wooden cupola that originally housed a bell. The interior woodwork, including elaborate cornices, pilasters, and door surrounds, showcases the craftsmanship of the Carpenters' Company members who built it—effectively serving as an advertisement for their skills to potential clients.

The building has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is included within the boundaries of Independence National Historical Park, though it remains privately owned by the Carpenters' Company. This status reflects both the building's architectural merit and its historical significance as the meeting place of the First Continental Congress. Carpenters' Hall stands as evidence that the American Revolution emerged not only from the grand halls of colonial government but also from the meeting rooms of tradesmen and craftsmen who sought to preserve their liberties against imperial overreach.

See Also

• First Continental Congress
• Independence Hall
• Old City
• Declaration of Independence