A restored and renovated Carpenters’ Hall is ready for visitors again, thanks in part to an insurance policy from 1773
The Inquirer gets an exclusive first look at the historic Hall that reopens on July 3, following a fire that broke out on Christmas Eve.
On the humid morning of June 26, Carpenters’ Hall was cluttered with boxes, cleaning supplies, and precious artifacts from the Revolutionary War era returning to the centuries-old building in time for its reopening on July 3.
The building, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774, will open its doors to the public after more than a year of being closed for renovations, and a little over six months after a basement fire.
The blaze, on Christmas Eve, destroyed some archival documents, including meeting minutes and records, but firefighters stopped it from causing structural damage to the building. (Philadelphia’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives determined it was arson. ATF’s investigation has reportedly stalled, with no witnesses or current suspects.)
Originally set to reopen in February, the hall needed further repairs after the fire and its artifacts — colonial era banners, Windsor chairs used by the Continental Congress, paintings, and more — were removed for assessment and cleaning.
“It’s unfortunate about why we had to delay our reopening, but there were also some silver linings around the fire,” said executive director Michael Norris, standing among empty display cases and packing blankets in the newly repainted meeting room. “We hadn’t planned to do [interior] work, the preservation project was all exterior …[Now] everything’s been cleaned and refreshed.”
Norris began the $3.4 million preservation project in April 2022 in anticipation of the Carpenters’ Company’s 300th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress meeting, both of which the hall will celebrate with events throughout 2024.
Considered the birthplace of Pennsylvania, the hall is both a tourist destination and a meeting place for the Carpenters’ Company, a professional association for architects, contractors, and engineers dating to 1724. The organization currently has 195 members and is dedicated to preserving the hall, sharing its history, and providing networking opportunities within the construction industry.
Though most of the artifacts are returning to the hall, two banners carried in parades in 1788 and 1832 — marking the ratification of the Constitution and the centennial of George Washington’s birth, respectively — will not. Following a conservator’s advice, Norris said the fragile fabrics will rest in a climate-controlled storage facility in Brewerytown run by Atelier Fine Art Services, the art-handling company. Norris describes it as a fight against gravity: Letting them lie flat for a couple years will prolong their lifespan.
Two detailed reproductions of the banners will take their place. “It’s kind of nuts how realistic they are,” said Norris.
Down in the basement, which will remain closed to public, nearly all of the smoke residue has been scrubbed clean and painted over, though small sections of the wooden beams along the ceiling are still scorched black. Norris wanted to keep a visible scar.
“This is the first time there was a fire at Carpenters’ Hall in 250 years, that we’re aware of … for me, the idea that we have some tangible, physical evidence [of that] is an important part of the hall’s story,” said Norris.
A history buff, he was delighted to learn more about Carpenters’ Hall while overseeing the building restoration and artifact repair work. The repairs from the fire cost more than $1 million and much of that will be covered by four insurance policies — including one with the Philadelphia Contributionship that dates to 1773. “They told us it’s the second-oldest insurance policy that they have still in place, the first one being Pennsylvania Hospital,” he said.
On July 3, the doors to Carpenters’ Hall will reopen at 10 a.m., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring a trumpet performance and poetry reading. The new exhibit “Artifacts & Architecture” will display antique teacups, smoking pipes, glassware, and other items found during the building’s excavation. The objects will accompany photographs of the renovation’s progress by local architectural photographer Kat Kendon.
Carpenters’ Hall will welcome back tourists just in time for July 4, typically one of the busiest holidays that in previous years has brought in up to 2,000 visitors in a day.
As for the lingering questions of who set the blaze and why, Norris said it’s ATF’s domain. “Our job is to make it better,” he said. “I’ve been really focused on reopening, doing all the cleaning and remediation, because that’s the stuff that we can control.”
Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut St., Phila., will be open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning July 3. The exhibit “Artifacts & Architecture” will run through October. carpentershall.org