Carpenters’ Hall Reopens July 3rd with Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting

-Courtesy of En Route Marketing

On July 3 at 10:00 a.m., the historic Carpenters’ Hall of Philadelphia (320 Chestnut Street) reopens for the first time since sustaining substantial fire damage in December and undergoing a preservation project that began in April 2022. A ceremony and ribbon cutting will be held to commemorate the event, both free and open to the public.

The reopening ceremony will feature guest speakers, performances, and a ribbon cutting. Councilmember Mark Squilla, President & CEO of Visit Philadelphia Angela Val, City Representative  Sheila Hess, and Interim Superintendent of Independence National Historical Park Amnesty  Kochanowski, will provide remarks about preservation efforts and the local and national significance of Carpenters’ Hall, one of the most historically symbolic buildings in the nation. 

The Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution will install eight historic flags outside along the front  steps of the Hall. The ceremony will also include a performance by Philadelphia trumpeters Nozomi  Imamura and William Gregory and a reading of Francis Hopkinson’s 1788 poem “A New Roof: An Ode to Federal Mechanics” by Philadelphia poet and storyteller Quentin Williams. Hopkinson’s poem was written in honor of the Grand Federal Edifice, a wooden pavilion designed and built by The Carpenters’ Company to symbolize and celebrate the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. 

“One of the key outcomes of the First Continental Congress was a decision to meet again if the colonists’ grievances were still unresolved,” said Executive Director Michael Norris. “This led to the  Second Continental Congress and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and so there’s a  strong connection between Carpenters’ Hall and the nation’s founding. Reopening just prior to  Independence Day allows us to highlight that connection.” 

Beginning July 3 through October, visitors to Carpenters’ Hall can view the new special exhibition,  Artifacts & Architecture, featuring antiquities uncovered during the recent excavation of the property, including clay smoking pipes, vintage stoneware and teacups, and glass vessels. The exhibit pairs these artifacts, unearthed on-site at Carpenters’ Hall by archeologists from infrastructure-consulting firm AECOM, with photos of the Carpenters’ Hall preservation project by Philadelphia architectural  photographer Kat Kendon.

Mills + Schnoering of Princeton, NJ, was the consulting architect for the $3.4 million preservation  project, and Haverstick-Borthwick of Plymouth Meeting, PA, was the general contractor. Installations,  including updated HVAC and mechanical systems, pavement, perimeter, drainage, gutters, flashing  repairs, masonry, repointing, and millwork, are the first key maintenance and preservation upgrades in four decades and will sustain the Hall for years to come. Additional work necessitated by the December fire included cleaning and repainting the interior, new fire and security systems, and retiled flooring.  Officers’ furniture, rare banners, gilded frame membership boards, and the display of the First Continental Congress chairs from 1774 complement the newly refitted seat of liberty in Philadelphia’s historic district.

Modestly situated among several notable institutions, Carpenters’ Hall has been owned by The  Carpenters’ Company, the oldest craft guild in America, since its completion in 1774. The Hall is  considered one of the nation’s most historically and culturally significant buildings and the birthplace of  the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, designed and built in the Georgian architectural style prevalent in  the 18^th century. The forum played an integral role in the Revolution, hosting 56 delegates of the First Continental Congress which would lead to the signing of our country’s Declaration of Independence. As  a civic and cultural headquarters, the Hall housed the Library Company of Philadelphia, the American Philosophical Society, and the first exhibit of The Franklin Institute in 1824. In 1857 the Hall became the first privately owned American building to open as a museum and historic site. It remains free to the public and welcomes over 130,000 visitors annually. Public hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. 

Carpenters’ Hall is available for event rentals starting in September. Also resuming this fall are the popular private tours with whisky tasting available through Airbnb here.

The preservation project, whose major supporters include the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the  federal Save America’s Treasures program, the Board of Directors of City Trusts, the Pennsylvania  Society Sons of the Revolution Color Guard, the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters,  the General Building Contractors Association, Associated General Contractors, and members of The  Carpenters’ Company, is the capstone of preparations for The Carpenters’ Company’s 300^th Anniversary in 2024. 

Please find more information on ways to preserve the living history of Carpenters’ Hall and access  digitized records of the nation’s oldest craft guild, its architectural history, and its roster of former  tenants here.