A Guide to Alexander Hamilton’s Philadelphia

When delegates from across the new nation gathered at Independence Hall for the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Hamilton was the only one of New York’s three representatives who signed the U.S. Constitution. Discussions were contentious but Hamilton — who co-authored the Federalist Papers — ultimately helped convince other delegates to support the Constitution. Of note, Hamilton was not present onsite in 1776 for the signing of the Declaration of Independence as he was in New York City serving as captain of an artillery brigade under General George Washington.

Although built under his leadership as Treasury Secretary between 1795 and 1797, Hamilton never stepped foot inside the First Bank of the United States. However, his influence is undeniable as the visionary who tasked the nation’s first centralized national bank (and precursor to the Federal Reserve) to reign in America’s enormous war debt and develop a standard nationwide currency. While currently closed to the public, a new museum will open at the site in 2026 focusing on the history of the bank and its role in early American economic development.

In founding the Bank of the United States, Hamilton accomplished a feat never before achieved in human history: creating a central national financial institution not controlled by a monarch. While construction of the First Bank building was underway, the newly established federal economic administration was housed inside Carpenters’ Hall from 1794 to 1797. Prior to that time, the structure was the meeting site of the First Continental Congress, which gathered in 1774 to impose a trade embargo against England (forerunner to the Declaration of Independence).

In 1792, Congress approved Treasury Secretary Hamilton’s plans for the nation’s first currency production facility, at 7th and Filbert streets (marked by a plaque affixed to the William J. Green Jr. Federal Building). Today, the modern United States Mint— just three blocks away — can cast nearly two million coins each hour and offers free self-guided tours from a catwalk 40 feet above the factory floor. Highlights include America’s first coining press, seven turn-of-the-century Tiffany glass mosaics and push-button stations showing videos about the minting process and outlining Hamilton’s role in founding the institution.

In 1790, Congress passed a law requiring federal government officers to reside within Philadelphia. Following the edict, Hamilton — with his wife Eliza and their children — moved into this house a block from his office in November 1790, remaining until March 1791. It was here in Society Hill where Hamilton engaged in a scandalous career-ending affair with the married Maria Reynolds while his wife was out of town. Although the home was demolished, a plaque marks the spot. Hamilton also lived nearby in an unmarked building at 79 S. 3rd Street until 1795.

While living in the 3rd and Walnut neighborhood, Hamilton often spent time up the street socializing at the home of colonial power couple Elizabeth and Samuel Powel, a popular gathering place for Philadelphia elite also including Franklin, Adams and Washington. Today, you can visit The Powel House where sophisticatedly bedecked rooms are filled with antique clocks, portraits, china and more. Tours mention a letter Hamilton wrote to wife Eliza in which he asked if she had been taking her medicine and suggested she consider advice Mrs. Powel gave her regarding her health.

With a relationship marked by intense partisan rivalry and mutual disdain rooted in opposing views on government and the press, there was no love lost between Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin’s grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache. At the Aurora Print Shop — now Franklin Court Printing Office — Republican Bache railed against Hamilton and other Federalists in his publications. Visiting Franklin Court and the Benjamin Franklin Museum offers a look at Franklin’s life and impact on American history through interactive displays, the “ghost structure” remains of Franklin’s home and the early Franklin Post Office.

Through its imposing Corinthian-columned façade, the Second Bank of the United States building served as the second federally authorized Hamiltonian national bank facility. Chartered in 1816, the bank played a crucial role in the early American economy until it was shuttered by President Andrew Jackson two decades later. Today the building houses a Portrait Gallery featuring over 150 portraits of prominent 18th and 19th century Americans — many from the brush of renowned painter Charles Willson Peale, including a standout portrait of Hamilton himself.

The original Executive Mansion, Presidents George Washington and John Adams each lived at The President’s House during their terms in office. During his time in Philadelphia, Hamilton visited Washington’s home office for governmental meetings, political events and social gatherings. While the original building was demolished in 1832, the foundation was unearthed in 2000 and now houses free outdoor exhibit Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation, with viewable structural fragments and videos focusing the nine enslaved African men and women indentured during Washington’s tenure.

On July 8, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read publicly for the first time. That took place at Independence Square, a community space directly behind Independence Hall. The site continued to host numerous gatherings and protests, from demonstrations against the Stamp Act to civil rights speeches from Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony to the first LGBTQ+ rights rallies. During the 1787 Constitutional Convention, delegates — including Hamilton — gathered in what was then the Pennsylvania State House Yard to debate ideas outside of formal sessions in more relaxed, candid conversations.

Known as “The Nation’s Church,” the vaunted Christ Church, dating back to 1744, operated as a house of worship and sacred gathering place for prominent early Americans and Founding Fathers including George Washington, Betsy Ross and Benjamin Franklin. While Hamilton was not a member of the church, he would visit the site to meet with his compatriots (as did many other contemporaries) during his years in Philadelphia, as the space was often used as a safe, informal meeting place away from the pressure of more formal conferences.

The National Constitution Center takes a deep dive into the four most powerful pages in America’s history. The featured exhibit, The Story of We the People, discusses Hamilton’s role leading the Bank of the United States, the formation of parties and his relationships with Jefferson and Burr. The exhibit’s finale is Signers’ Hall, which features life-size bronze statues of the 42 delegates who attended the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Hamilton stands towards the center of the collection, essentially alone as the Convention’s only solo state delegate. Feel free to shake his bronze hand and take a selfie.

The displays in the Museum of the American Revolution in Old City recount the story of the Revolutionary War through personal accounts and fascinating relics. The museum’s signature artifact is George Washington’s War Tent, which served as the general’s battlefield home, strategic meeting place and office headquarters throughout the War for Independence. A young Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton — a rising star in the Continental Army army — served as one of Washington’s aides-de-camp from 1777-1781 who regularly congressed with the elder Founding Father inside the authentic tent on display.

Fans of the blockbuster musical who can’t get enough Hamilton can download the Alexander Hamilton Walking Tours app (from the Google Play or Apple App stores). The enhanced tour experience connects songs from the show with the relevant Philadelphia rooms and landmarks where it happened (including the sites above) for a real time listen while at and between locales. The app from Philadelphia writer Catherine Price — which also offers photographs, historical notes and bonus stops — is available for $4.99, with 20% of net proceeds donated to The Independence Historical Trust.

Through Monday, October 21, 2024

Don’t throw away your shot: Ensemble Arts is celebrating the Philly return of the Broadway hit Hamilton (read more on that below) with a chance to win free tickets during this city-wide Hamilton scavenger hunt. Scavenger hunt clues are shared on Ensemble Arts’ social media, and participants can collect more clues and complete the hunt via the Hamilton app (available on the Apple and Google Play stores). Using the app’s HamCam filter, simply take photos of yourself at four of the seven locations — and post them to your social media feed with #HamInPHL — for a chance to win tickets to the Hamilton musical.

Be in the room where it’s happening! The room? The historic Academy of Music. The happening? Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway blockbuster hip-hop musical Hamilton — the Tony Award-winning show based on Ron Chernow’s biography — which returns this fall to the city of its namesake’s greatest achievements and romantic downfall. Don’t throw away this shot to hear all the hits from Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Eliza Schuyler, King George III and the rest of the revolutionary gang in over 30 Broadway Series performances on Philly’s Avenue of the Arts.