Plan of the State House, 1732, attributed to Andrew Hamilton. The elevation of the main building shows it substantially as first built. A skimpy plan like this seems inadequate to people of the 20th century, accustomed to meticulous architectural drawings. Detailed drafts had not been introduced in the 1700’s; rather, the master builders in the field were a combination of what we would call today architects, engineers, and workmen. On them lay the burden of supplying the technical details between the simple sketch and the finished structure. Such a man was Edmund Woolley, master carpenter of the State House. Courtesy Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
The State House as it appeared in the Colonial period, showing the wings, connecting “piazzas” with stairways, and original steeple. As first designed (see [preceding illustration]) and built, the State House had no tower or steeple. These were added around mid-century, and a bell was ordered for the steeple in 1751. This State House bell, which was hung in the new addition in 1753, has since become renowned as the Liberty Bell. This drawing and the next six are modern illustrations based on 18th-century written descriptions and pictures.
The State House, about 1776, with wing buildings adjoined by wooden sheds. These were used during the Revolutionary War to store ammunition and, perhaps, to shelter Indian delegations at various times. The wings were used as office space and, in part, even as living quarters for the doorkeeper and his family.
By 1773, the steeple had rotted to a dangerous extent. It had become so weak that ringing of the hell was avoided for fear of toppling the steeple. Though the Pennsylvania Assembly had long intended to remove this badly decayed structure, it was not done till 1781—the year of the British surrender at Yorktown, Va. After the steeple was removed, the brick tower was covered with a hipped roof, shown here, and the bell hung just below it.
The wooden sheds were removed some time after 1787 to make way for the City Hall on the east (left) and County Courthouse on the west (right). Begun in 1787 and 1789 and completed in 1789 and 1791, respectively, these buildings fulfilled the original plan of a city governmental center as conceived by Andrew Hamilton. With the establishment of the temporary Federal capital in Philadelphia, from 1790 to 1800, City Hall became the seat of the U. S. Supreme Court and the County Courthouse became Congress Hall.