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Describing construction of the First National Bank...
Describing construction of the First National Bank...
Item # 704300
August 26, 1795
THOMAS'S MASSACHUSETTS SPY OR THE WORCESTER GAZETTE, August 26, 1795
* First Bank of the United States creation
* Construction in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Page 3 has a very notable report, headed: "Description o the Bank of the United States, Now Erecting in Third St., from a Design by Mr. S. Blodget". It would be finished in 1797.
This building, The First National Bank, still stands and is a National Historic Landmark.
Four pages, light damp stains, minor loss at a lower corner, nice condition.
background: The construction of the First Bank of the United States in 1795 represented a bold architectural statement intended to cement the young nation's financial credibility on the world stage. Designed by Samuel Blodgett, Jr., the structure broke ground four years after Alexander Hamilton secured the bank’s charter, moving the institution from its temporary quarters in Carpenters' Hall to a permanent seat of power on Philadelphia's South Third Street. The building is a masterpiece of Federal-style Neoclassicism, featuring a commanding two-story portico supported by six massive Corinthian columns carved from blue Pennsylvania marble. Its most striking feature, the mahogany-carved eagle in the pediment, serves as a literal and symbolic "seal" of federal authority, making it one of the first grand public buildings in America to use Roman architectural language to project permanence and stability. Completed in 1797 for just over $110,000, the structure remains the oldest standing headquarters of a specialized central bank in the world.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
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