| President's House | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The House intended for the President of the United States, in Ninth Street Philadelphia, by W. Birch & Son (1799) | |
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| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Location | Ninth Street, between Market Street and Chestnut Street |
| Town or city | Philadelphia |
| Coordinates | 39°57′03″N75°09′20″W / 39.95083°N 75.15556°W /39.95083; -75.15556 |
| Construction started | May 10, 1792 (1792-05-10) Cornerstone |
| Completed | 1797 |
| Demolished | 1829 (1829) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | William Williams |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) | Benjamin Henry Latrobe |
ThePresident's House was a mansion built from 1792 to 1797 by theGovernment of Pennsylvania and located on Ninth Street, between Market and Chestnut Streets, inPhiladelphia, then the temporarynational capital. Intended to persuade thefederal government to permanently stay in the city, this house intended for thepresident of the United States never housed any president.[1] In 1800, the property was purchased at public auction by theUniversity of Pennsylvania for use as a new, expanded campus. The university demolished the building in 1829 and replaced it with two new buildings.[2]
After theconstitution was ratified, the national capital of the United States was inNew York City.[3] On July 16, 1790,Congress passed theResidence Act (1 Stat. 130), which designated Philadelphia the temporary capital for a 10-year period while the permanent capital atWashington, D.C., was constructed. The recently builtCongress Hall was used from December 6, 1790, to May 14, 1800.[3] The president of the United States, firstGeorge Washington and thenJohn Adams, resided at the house leased from financierRobert Morris, also known as thePresident's House, on Market Street, between Fifth and Sixth Streets.[4]
In September 1791, the state government enacted the "Federal Building Bill" to pay for the renovations needed for the federal government office space and for the construction of a new executive mansion. Twelve lots were purchased on the west side of Ninth Street, betweenMarket Street, then named High Street, and Chestnut Street. The property measured 202 by 151 feet (62 m × 46 m).[5] The cornerstone, inscribed "House to accommodate the President of the United States", was laid on May 10, 1792, in a ceremony attended by GovernorThomas Mifflin.[6] The mansion was completed in the spring of 1797 and cost more than $110,000.[7] On March 3, 1797, Governor Mifflin offered the nearly completed mansion to John Adams on the eve ofhis inauguration. However, Adams rejected the offer on constitutional grounds: "as I entertain great doubts whether, by a candid construction of the Constitution of the United States, I am at liberty to accept it without the intention and authority of Congress". Thus neither Washington, no longer president when the mansion was ready, nor Adams, would reside in the President's House.[8]
On July 15, 1800, theUniversity of Pennsylvania bought the property, the mansion, and twelve lots, at public auction for $41,650.[2] Classes started at this new campus in the spring of 1802.[9] This Ninth Street campus was the university's second one.[10] The property was renovated for the university by architectBenjamin Henry Latrobe.[11] ThePhilomathean Society was organized in 1813 and had a room in the President's House.[12] The mansion was demolished in 1829 to make room for two new university buildings, designed by architectWilliam Strickland.[2]
In 1790, Governor Mifflin had originally askedPierre Charles L'Enfant, who was planning the new federal city,Washington, D.C., for a design.[13] The house was eventually designed and built by master builderWilliam Williams (1749–1794).[14] The resulting three-story house was built of brick trimmed with marble and featured a facade in theneoclassical style of British architectRobert Adam.[15] It had ahip roof with a central glass dome andcupola, topped by an eagle sculpture.[16]
In 1799, W. Birch & Son, artistsWilliam Birch and his sonThomas Birch, created the print entitledThe House intended for the President of the United States, in Ninth Street Philadelphia, which depicted the house. It was plate 13 inBirch's Views of Philadelphia, published in 1800.[17] In 1940, the Presidential Mansion was illustrated on commemorativeWedgwood china cups for the bicentennial of the University of Pennsylvania.[18]
The University occupied the "President's House" at Ninth and Market Streets, Philadelphia, from 1801 until 1829.
a room assigned to them in what was then the University's one campus building, known as the "President's House."
Designer and builder of the President's House, used as the second campus of the University of Pennsylvania
The full story of the "President's House" that never housed a President
For more than 150 years there has been confusion about the President's House in Philadelphia
Media related toPresident's House (Ninth Street) at Wikimedia Commons
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