Carpenters' Hall of Philadelphia

Carpenters' Hall is a treasure in historic Philadelphia. It hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774 and was home to Franklin's Library Company, The American Philosophical Society, and the First and Second Banks of the United States. For upcoming events and public programming, please click here.

upcoming event: ROBERT SMITH’s BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER

Tuesday, January 14th, 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia

Jointly hosted by the Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia and the St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia, we invite you to join us for a festive, Scottish-themed celebration of the anniversary of Robert Smith's birth. Enjoy Scottish music and dance and of course Scotch whisky, courtesy of ImpEx Beverages, Inc.! This event is graciously sponsored by Hensel Phelps Construction

Purchase tickets by clicking the button below. 

Robert Smith was Colonial America's leading architect and builder. He was born on January 14, 1722, in Dalkeith, Scotland. His extant work in Philadelphia includes Carpenters' Hall, the Powel House, St. Peter's Church and the steeple of Christ Church, and he also built Nassau Hall in Princeton and the Public Hospital in Williamsburg, among many others. 

Proceeds from this event go towards the Robert Smith Memorial Scholarship. Launched in 2024 in partnership with the St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia, the scholarship awards an annual scholarship to a student in the traditional building trades. We will be awarding the inaugural winner of this scholarship during this event. 

Visit our events page here for other upcoming programming!


THE Carpenters' CoMPANY

Set humbly back from Chestnut Street, the Hall has been continuously owned and operated by The Carpenters' Company  
of the City and County of Philadelphia, the oldest craft guild in America, since 1770. 

 

Tuesday tea at carpenters’ hall

Enjoy afternoon tea in the historic interior of Carpenters’ Hall. Join Dolley Todd Madison, wife of President James Madison and the new nation’s most gracious hostess, who will describe the important role tea played in the colonial economy and, indeed, in the American Revolution itself… learn more here.

Tickets now available for purchase.


RENT THE HALL

Carpenters' Hall can accommodate events for up to 125 guests. The Hall is open to the public from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Tuesday through Sunday and cannot be rented during those hours.

For more information, click here.

after hours whisky tours

Join us at Carpenters’ Hall for private, after-hours tour. This is an exclusive tour where you will have the opportunity to see the second-floor, which is off limits to regular visitors, as well as a special exhibit.

Purchase tickets here.


OPEN to THE PUBLIC

Today, Carpenters' Hall is free to the public and welcomes over 150,000 world-wide visitors to this wonderful Georgian building. Admission has been complimentary since 1857, when it became the first privately owned American building to be opened as a historic monument.

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Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
— Benjamin Franklin
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WALKING TOUR OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT

So much of 18th century Philadelphia — its homes, churches and historic sites — is framed by three city blocks just south of Carpenters' Hall. Use the directions in the link below to enjoy an hour-long stroll of Old City and Society Hill.

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historic meeting minutes available for research

Peruse the newly digitized records of the oldest craft guild in the United States, who let their Hall to the delegates of the First Congress, Benjamin Franklin, the United States War Department, the American Philosophical Society, The First Bank of the United States, and much more! These freshly uploaded records offer insight to the citizen scholar and professional historian alike, available on the American Philosophical Society website link below.

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Keep History Alive:
Donate Today!

Supporting Carpenters' Hall keeps a historic landmark open free to the public, sharing its essential role in the formation of the United States, as it has since 1857. Known as the "Birthplace of Liberty", Carpenters' Hall was the location of the 1774 meetings of the First Continental Congress.


Interested in Carpenters’ Hall merchandise? Visit our virtual museum store to shop Hall-themed products, gift certificates to our Air BnB experiences, and more!


In this video Carpenters’ Company Historian, Roger Moss, describes the history of The Company and the history of Carpenters’ Hall.

Supported by:


and the generous contributions from members of The Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia

 

The Carpenters’ Company is proud to be a nonprofit affiliate to America250PA.

 
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