Independence National Historical Park

Independence National Historical Park, area of downtown Philadelphia, partially owned by the city but operated by the U.S. National Park Service. It covers 45 acres (18 hectares) and contains a number of historic structures associated with the American Revolution and the founding of the nation—notably Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were deliberated and signed. The park was authorized in 1948; the National Park Service began administering the site in 1950, and the park was officially established in 1956.

The bulk of the park consists of an L-shaped strip of land that hinges on Independence Square, the location of Independence Hall (designated a World Heritage site in 1979), Congress Hall (where the U.S. Congress met from 1790 to 1800 when Philadelphia was the capital of the United States), and Philosophical Hall (home of the American Philosophical Society, founded by Benjamin Franklin). To the north of the square lies Independence Mall, containing Old City Hall, home of the U.S. Supreme Court until 1800, and the Liberty Bell Center, where the famous bell is housed. A number of structures occupy the area east of the square, including the Second Bank of the United States (now a portrait gallery), Carpenters’ Hall (meeting place of the First Continental Congress), and the First Bank of the United States (operated 1797–1811). Franklin Court, just to the northeast of the square, is the site where Benjamin Franklin’s house once stood. Some other buildings associated with the colonial period, but located elsewhere in the city, are also part of the park.