Philosophical Hall
- Architect
- Samuel Vaughan
- Style
- Georgian
- City
- Philadelphia, PA
- Collection
- colonial & revolutionary
Philosophical Hall has served as headquarters of the American Philosophical Society for more than two centuries, standing near Independence Hall at 104 S. 5th Street. The Society spent its first twenty years without a home before members voted in 1783 to build one; the Pennsylvania Legislative Assembly granted a lot in the State House yard in 1785, and construction dragged on for four years, finished only with a loan from Society member Benjamin Franklin.
the building
Franklin's loan. Fundraising for the building proceeded so slowly that the American Philosophical Society needed a loan from one of its own members, Benjamin Franklin, to finish construction after the Pennsylvania Legislative Assembly granted the site in 1785.
the style
Philosophical Hall was built in the Georgian style, giving the Society's headquarters the same restrained brick vocabulary as its neighbors around Independence Square.
More on Georgiansignificance
Philosophical Hall was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 for its association with the American Philosophical Society and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
nearby
- Independence Hall
- Second Bank of the United States
- Congress Hall
- Philadelphia Bourse
- Carpenters' Hall
- Rohm and Haas Corporate Headquarters