What building, formerly the Pennsylvania State House, is central to America250 history?

Independence Hall, formerly the Pennsylvania State House, is central to America250 history.

The Second Continental Congress met in the building’s Assembly Room and adopted the Declaration of Independence there in 1776. The same room later hosted the Constitutional Convention, which drafted the United States Constitution in 1787.

The building stood in Philadelphia and was originally constructed between 1732 and 1753. Its earlier name, the Pennsylvania State House, reflects its original role as the seat of Pennsylvania’s colonial government. The name Independence Hall became prominent after the Declaration and Constitution acquired national importance.

Independence Hall is not the same building as Carpenters’ Hall, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774. Nor is it Federal Hall in New York, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. president. Its connection to both the Declaration and Constitution makes it especially important to America250.