Welcome to the First Bank of the United States Restoration Project and Future Museum!
A public-private initiative to reopen the landmark First Bank building as a new museum, footsteps from Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA, 1791
PHILADELPHIA, 1791
About the Project
Thanks to the impact of $4.5 million in private funding raised by the Independence Historical Trust, the National Park Service has been allocated $22.2 million in federal funding to restore the landmark building constructed in Philadelphia in the 1790s to house the First Bank of the United States.
The First Bank was a central part of then-Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton’s vision to create a national financial system that would knit together the economies of the 13 newly independent states. The building, part of Independence National Historical Park (INHP), sits a mere 1,000 feet from Independence Hall and represents the economic unification of the nation comparable to the political unification achieved by the U.S. Constitution.
The Restoration
The restoration will rehabilitate the First Bank, restoring it to full and modern use.
Original Facade
Unchanged since construction, the marble will be carefully repointed and weathered elements will be repaired or replaced.
Tympanum Sculpture
A magnificent original mahogany carving in the tympanum was conserved in 2020 and won the Grand Jury Award from the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia in 2021.
Rear Addition
A modest addition will be constructed on the back of the First Bank to accommodate a new stairway, bathrooms, an elevator, and heating and cooling systems.
Interior
The grand interior, a floor-to-roof rotunda dating to a c. 1900 remodeling, will be carefully restored to its original grandeur and contain exhibits that tell the First Bank’s history. The multi-purpose area will provide space for meetings, educational programs for students, and revenue-generating events when the museum is closed to the public.
“Most commercial nations have found it necessary to institute banks; and they have proved to be the happiest engines that ever were invented for advancing trade.”
Alexander Hamilton, 1781
The Independence Historical Trust, the nonprofit philanthropic partner of INHP, played an important role in securing the funding, awarded as part of the Great American Outdoors Act, a stimulus bill passed in 2020. The Trust has provided more than $4 million in funding for the pre-construction design work of the restoration and has championed opening the First Bank for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the American nation in 2026. The Trust is now leading an effort to raise $6.6 million to fabricate and install exhibits in the First Bank.
About
The Trust
Future Exhibits
The campaign will fully fund the fabrication, programming, and installation of video walls, state-of-the-art interactives, and immersive environments that will engage visitors in first-person narratives and illustrate the impact of the First Bank in transforming America’s economy.
As President Washington took office in 1789, the nation was burdened by massive debt, plagued by dozens of local currencies, and fracturing as each state took its own path. The exhibits will describe Hamilton’s vision of a national economy by exploring key aspects of the nation’s commerce, workforce, natural resources, and financial systems.
*Exhibits are still in design and continue to evolve.
Become a part of history
The First Bank of the United States museum offers private donors and corporations a rare opportunity to associate their interests with a financial literacy initiative of national importance.
For donors, sponsors, and contributors, your willingness to support this makes you part of the historic record of the great emergence of America as an engine of opportunity for all. All gifts to the Independence Historical Trust are considered tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Get the whole story
Media, click here to get in contact with us and schedule a private tour.
What people are saying
“Rehabilitating the First Bank will meet a long-held goal for INHP —it was acquired in 1956, with establishment of the Park, but has been closed to the public for many years, most of the Park’s history. The landmark building gives the park the opportunity to showcase aspects of the economy of the early republic and the role of the controversial national bank.”
Cynthia MacLeod
6th Superintendent of Independence National Historical Park
“I am proud that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has made a commitment to support the reopening of this historic landmark. The state’s investment will help reopen the central bank that once served as the foundation to modern United States fiscal policy, into a museum.”
Tom Wolf
47th Governor of Pennsylvania
“As a member of Congress, I was proud to vote for the funding bill that is making this possible. And as a lifelong Philadelphian, I’m proud to be from the birthplace of America! That is something that makes our city unique, and it helps to draw millions of visitors every year from across the country, and around the world. So it’s more than a point of pride – it also helps our local economy. What took place in this building was an important part of how 13 former colonies began to knit themselves together into one nation. It also helped to lay the foundation for the progress that was yet to come.”
Congressman Dwight Evans
(D-PA-3)
Contact Us
If you want to learn more or have other inquiries about the museum, please fill out the form, and we'll be in touch.
First Bank Building
120 S. Third Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19106
Independence Historical Trust
143 S. Third Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19106