President's House (Ninth Street)
President's House | |
---|---|
General information | |
Status | Demolished |
Architectural style | Federal |
Location | Ninth Street, between Market Street and Chestnut Street |
Town or city | Philadelphia |
Coordinates | 39°57′03″N 75°09′20″W / 39.95083°N 75.15556°W |
Construction started | May 10, 1792 | Cornerstone
Completed | 1797 |
Demolished | 1829 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | William Williams |
Renovating team | |
Architect(s) | Benjamin Henry Latrobe |
The President's House was a mansion built from 1792 to 1797 by the
Background
After the constitution was ratified, the national capital of the United States was in New York City.[3] On July 16, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act (1 Stat. 130), which designated Philadelphia the temporary capital for a 10-year period while the permanent capital at Washington, D.C., was constructed. The recently built Congress Hall was used from December 6, 1790, to May 14, 1800.[3] The president of the United States, first George Washington and then John Adams, resided at the house leased from financier Robert Morris, also known as the President's House, on Market Street, between Fifth and Sixth Streets.[4]
History
In September 1791, the state government enacted the "Federal Building Bill" to pay for the renovations needed for the federal government office space and for the construction of a new executive mansion. Twelve lots were purchased on the west side of Ninth Street, between Market Street, then named High Street, and Chestnut Street. The property measured 202 by 151 feet (62 m × 46 m).[5] The cornerstone, inscribed "House to accommodate the President of the United States", was laid on May 10, 1792, in a ceremony attended by Governor Thomas Mifflin.[6] The mansion was completed in the spring of 1797 and cost more than $110,000.[7] On March 3, 1797, Governor Mifflin offered the nearly completed mansion to John Adams on the eve of his inauguration. However, Adams rejected the offer on constitutional grounds: "as I entertain great doubts whether, by a candid construction of the Constitution of the United States, I am at liberty to accept it without the intention and authority of Congress". Thus neither Washington, no longer president when the mansion was ready, nor Adams, would reside in the President's House.[8]
On July 15, 1800, the University of Pennsylvania bought the property, the mansion, and twelve lots, at public auction for $41,650.[2] Classes started at this new campus in the spring of 1802.[9] This Ninth Street campus was the university's second one.[10] The property was renovated for the university by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe.[11] The Philomathean Society was organized in 1813 and had a room in the President's House.[12] The mansion was demolished in 1829 to make room for two new university buildings, designed by architect William Strickland.[2]
Description
In 1790, Governor Mifflin had originally asked
Artistic depictions
In 1799, W. Birch & Son, artists
See also
- Samuel Osgood House – First presidential mansion, used 1789–1790
- Alexander Macomb House – Second, 1790
- Government House (New York City) – House intended for the President, built 1790
- President's House (Philadelphia) – Third, 1790–1800
- White House – Fourth and current, since 1800
References
- ^ Kurjack (1953), p. 380.
- ^ a b c Kurjack (1953), p. 394.
- ^ a b Fortenbaugh, Robert (1948). "The Nine Capitals of the United States".
- ^ Lawler (2002), pp. 5–7.
- ^ Kurjack (1953), p. 384.
- ^ Kurjack (1953), p. 387.
- ^ Kurjack (1953), p. 389.
- ^ Kurjack (1953), p. 393. "The President's House was never to house a President ...".
- OCLC 760190902.
- ^ "Penn's Second Campus, 1801–1829". University Archives. University of Pennsylvania.
The University occupied the "President's House" at Ninth and Market Streets, Philadelphia, from 1801 until 1829.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-7152-2.
- ^ Hood, Clifton R. (January 2006). "Philomathean Society: A Brief History". University Archives. University of Pennsylvania.
a room assigned to them in what was then the University's one campus building, known as the "President's House."
- ^ Stillman (2005), p. 419.
- ^ "William Williams". University Archives. University of Pennsylvania.
Designer and builder of the President's House, used as the second campus of the University of Pennsylvania
- ^ Kurjack (1953), p. 386.
- ^ Kurjack (1953), p. 390.
- ^ "The House Intended for the President of the United States, in Ninth Street Philadelphia". Library Company of Philadelphia.
- ^ "Bicentennial Wedgwood China Cups and Saucers, 1940. Presidential Mansion, Ninth Street campus". University Archives. University of Pennsylvania.
Bibliography
- Kurjack, Dennis C. (October 1953). "The "President's House" in Philadelphia". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 20 (4). Pennsylvania Historical Association: 380–394. JSTOR 27769454.
The full story of the "President's House" that never housed a President
- Lawler, Edward (2002). "The President's House in Philadelphia: The Rediscovery of a Lost Landmark". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 126 (1). JSTOR 20093505.
For more than 150 years there has been confusion about the President's House in Philadelphia
- Stillman, Damie (October 2005). "Six Houses for the President". Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 129 (4). JSTOR 20093818.
External links
- Media related to President's House (Ninth Street) at Wikimedia Commons