Independence+Hall

=History=
 * Independence Hall's history may be divided into four principal periods: service as the Pennsylvania State House, 1732-99 ; use as a museum, 1802-28; service as a municipal building, 1818-95; and operation as an historic shrine, 1898 to the present. The structure has been subjected to a number of changes and several restoration efforts.
 * Construction began in 1732.
 * The Congress met there off and on until 1783, after the end of the war.
 * Events that took place here: George Washington Was chosen as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, They adopted and signed the Declaration of Independence, and the first national government met.
 * The Assembly Room next to it served temporarily as a judicial robing chamber
 * 1818 City of Philadelphia buys State House from State for $70,000.
 * 1824 State House Yard renamed Independence Square.

=Characteristics=
 * The hall is a red brick building designed in the Georgian style. It consists of a central building with a belltower and a steeple, attached to two smaller wings via arcaded hyphens. The highest point to the tip of the steeple spire is 168 ft above the ground. The two wings were demolished in 1811–1812.

=People and Places=
 * The design of the building was the result of Hamilton's overall architectural conceptions and master builder Edmund Woolley's ability to give them form.
 * Before long, money had run out, and in 1741 Hamilton died, leaving the project incomplete.
 * Robert Edge Pine use it as a gallery after the war

=Renovations or Changes=
 * The structure has been subjected to a number of changes and several restoration efforts.
 * In 1750, the Assembly ordered that a structure to house a new staircase and "a suitable place thereon for hanging a bell" be erected.
 * During the British Army's occupation of Philadelphia, in 1777-78, the State House served as a hospital, prison, and barracks, and suffered much damage.
 * 1784 alterations and general repairs were made.
 * Assembly Room remodeled at 1818.
 * 1828 Steeple reconstructed; William Strickland, architect. Clock on west end of Independence Hall removed. Second story renovated for federal courts; John Haviland, architect. Occupied, 1828-54.
 * 1828 December 31. New clock-bell by J. Wilbank installed in steeple; Wilbank granted salvage rights to Liberty Bell, but leaves it hanging in brick tower.

=Floor plan=






 * 1st Floor




 * 2nd Floor

=Ilustrations= [] [] =Ricardo Matzar=