Congress Hall

Year: 1789
Style: Federal
City: Philadelphia, PA
Collection: federal philadelphia

Congress Hall, at the corner of Chestnut and 6th Streets, served as the seat of the United States Congress from December 6, 1790, to May 14, 1800. Within its walls the young nation admitted Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee as states, ratified the Bill of Rights, and saw the presidential inaugurations of George Washington's second term and John Adams's first.

the building

Adjoining Independence Hall. Congress Hall stands conjoined with Independence Hall to its east, putting the working legislature steps from where the Declaration and Constitution had been debated.

the style

Federal (c. 1780–1830): Refined American Georgian: oval fanlights over doors, slender proportions, and delicate garland ornament.

significance

Restored in the 20th century to its 1796 appearance, Congress Hall is now managed by the National Park Service within Independence National Historical Park and is open for public tours.

nearby

Independence Hall 190 ft · Georgian · 1753
Philosophical Hall 370 ft · Georgian
Rohm and Haas Corporate Headquarters 500 ft · International Style
Second Bank of the United States 0.1 mi · Greek Revival · 1824
Philadelphia Bourse 0.1 mi · Renaissance Revival · 1895
Athenaeum of Philadelphia 0.2 mi · Italianate · 1814

All 127 buildings in Philadelphia