{"nrhp_refnum":"87001292","name":"First Bank of the United States","other_names":["See Also:Independence National Historical Park"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"116 S. Third St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.948036923000046,"lon":-75.14641511993693,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-05-04","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1987-05-04","areas_of_significance":["Economics","Law","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick building with a marble front on Third Street between Chestnut and Walnut streets in Philadelphia, built for the Bank of the United States and completed in 1797. It is part of Independence National Historical Park.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant for its architecture, as an early and notable example of Classical monumental design and probably the first important marble classical facade in the United States. It is also tied to the constitutional debate over the chartering of the bank, in which Hamilton's broad reading of federal powers was set against Jefferson's strict construction.","narrative":"Built on Third Street in Philadelphia and completed in 1797 for the Bank of the United States, this three-story brick building is faced in marble and has a Corinthian hexastyle portico that is 48 by 11 feet. Samuel Blodgett designed it in 1794, and its marble facade is regarded as probably the first important classical marble facade erected in the United States. The bank operated here from 1797 to 1811. The building's significance also lies in the constitutional debate that surrounded its charter. Hamilton's proposal for the bank provoked a dispute with Jefferson and Madison over whether Congress held implied powers under the necessary and proper clause, and Hamilton's argument for broad federal authority was later adopted in McCulloch v. Maryland. After 1811 Stephen Girard's bank occupied the building until 1929. The National Park Service bought it in 1955, and its exterior was restored to the eighteenth-century appearance between 1974 and 1976.","period_of_significance":"1797","architect_builder":"Samuel Blodgett (architect); Claudius F. LeGrand and Sons (stone workers, woodcarvers and guilders)","architectural_style":"Classical monumental design","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Restored by the National Park Service between 1974 and 1976 with the 1902 interior remodeling retained; the building is used as park offices and library space.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.063831-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/87001292_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001292/23385b4f38-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001292/23385b4f38-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Carol M. Highsmith","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Bank_of_the_United_States,_Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania_LCCN2011633532_(edited).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Carol M. Highsmith</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Bank_of_the_United_States,_Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania_LCCN2011633532_(edited).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994297","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Bank_of_the_United_States","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q934187"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/first-bank-of-the-united-states-87001292/"}