Independence Hall
| Independence Hall | |
|---|---|
South facade of Independence Hall
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| Location | 520 Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 39°56′56″N 75°9′0″W / 39.94889°N 75.15000°WCoordinates: 39°56′56″N 75°9′0″W / 39.94889°N 75.15000°W |
| Architect | William Strickland (Steeple) |
| Architectural style(s) | Georgian |
| Visitors | 645,564 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | vi |
| Designated | 1979 (3rd session) |
| Reference no. | 78 |
| State Party | United States |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Designated | October 15, 1966 |
| Part of | Independence National Historical Park |
| Reference no. | 66000683 |
Independence Hall is the building where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. It is now the centerpiece of the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The building was completed in 1753 as the colonial legislature (later Pennsylvania State House) for the Province of Pennsylvania. It became 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.
A 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 and eventually the United Nations. The building is part of Independence National Historical Park and is listed as a World Heritage Site.
By the spring of 1729 the citizens of Philadelphia were petitioning to be allowed to build a state house. Two thousand pounds were committed to the endeavor. A committee composed of Thomas Lawrence, Dr. 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 the purpose of construction. Hamilton and William Allen were named trustees of the purchasing and building fund and authorized to buy the land that would be the site of the state house. By October 1730 they had begun purchasing lots on Chestnut Street.
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