What was the original name of the building now called Independence Hall, where Congress adopted the Declaration?

The original name of the building now called Independence Hall was Pennsylvania State House.

The Pennsylvania State House was completed in Philadelphia in 1753 as the meeting place of Pennsylvania’s colonial legislature. The Second Continental Congress used its Assembly Room when it debated and adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The same building later hosted the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Delegates debated the U.S. Constitution there, and George Washington presided over the convention. These two founding documents make the site especially important to the history commemorated by America250.

The name Independence Hall became common after the American Revolution, reflecting the building’s association with independence. The Liberty Bell was also kept in the building’s tower, although the famous bell and the Assembly Room are separate objects. The site is now part of Independence National Historical Park.