#library hall

Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, PA

Independence Hall is where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. It is now the centerpiece of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. 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. Congress Hall is a building near the intersection of Chestnut and 6th Streets that served as the seat of the United States Congress from December 6, 1790 to May 14, 1800. During Congress Hall's duration as the capitol of the United States, the country admitted three new states, Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee; ratified the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution; and oversaw the Presidential inaugurations of both George Washington (his second) and John Adams. Congress Hall was restored throughout the 20th century to its original appearance in 1796.

The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 and located in Philadelphia, is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and community outreach. Considered the first learned society in the United States, it has played an important role in American cultural and intellectual life for over 270 years. Library Hall In 1789–90, the Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) built its headquarters directly across 5th Street from APS. LCP sold its building in 1884, which was demolished for the expansion of the Drexel & Company Building in 1887. This building itself was demolished in the mid-1950s, during the creation of Independence National Historical Park. APS built a library on the site in 1958, and recreated the facade of the old LCP building.

George Washington Statue: The second statue of Washington to stand on this site, it was cast by Roman Bronze Works of New York City after a mould was cast of the first statute by Samuel A. Murray in 1910. The original statue of Washington on the site was created by J.A. Bailly in 1860. Made of Italian marble, it stood on a Richmond granite base by William Struthers. The statue was a copy of Jean Houdon's statue of Washington, which was commissioned for the city of Richmond, VA by Thomas Jefferson. Bailly's statue was presented by the First School District of Pennsylvania to the City of Philadelphia on July 4th, 1869. In 1910, the deteriorated original was moved to Conversation Hall, on the second floor of Philadelphia's City Hall.