Independence Hall
Philadelphia
Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and signed. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Pennsylvania's government building
Work began in 1732. The building was to house the government of the colony of Pennsylvania. It was designed by Edmund Woolley, a master carpenter who was also an architect and engineer. The style is Georgian: everything is balanced, with two matching wings on the sides.
The great signatures
The representatives of the colonies met in the Assembly Room. Here in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was debated and signed. In 1787 the Constitution was written. Their ideas of freedom have inspired many other countries.
The tower and the bell
The tower was added around 1750. In 1751 a bell was ordered from London, and it cracked at its first test. John Pass and John Stow recast it in the city. The tip of the tower rotted and was removed in 1781. In 1828 William Strickland designed a new, taller one.
The Liberty Bell
In the 1800s the bell became a symbol of freedom. Today the bell is in a glass pavilion, on the north side of Chestnut Street. In 1846 the crack was widened on purpose to stop it spreading. It didn't work: since then the bell has not rung.
