First Bank of the United States Reopens as Museum in Philadelphia

On July 1, the First Bank of the United States, a Greek Revival structure in Philadelphia that represents Alexander Hamilton's debated national bank initiative, reopened as a museum following extensive renovations. After being closed for nearly two decades, the building had suffered from dim interiors and outdated facilities. To restore the two-century-old site, the Independence Historical Trust and Independence National Historical Park secured $43 million from private donors and the federal government since around 2017. Restoration efforts included fixing a leaky roof, deteriorating brick and marble, and asbestos removal, while also reviving the elaborate interior with marble columns and a barrel-vaulted rotunda, showcasing American neoclassical design. The National Park Service acquired the building in 1955, which initially opened shortly after the bank's founding in 1791 with a 20-year charter. Hamilton proposed the bank to Congress on December 15, 1790, to address the Revolutionary War's national debt, but faced resistance from Thomas Jefferson, who considered it unconstitutional. The museum plans to feature a permanent exhibit on Hamilton's financial endeavors, while currently displaying two temporary exhibits with artifacts from the 1876 Centennial Exposition, the Bicentennial, and American diplomacy, including a circa 1725 mantel clock from the U.S. embassy in Paris, a 1779 portrait of George Washington, and chairs from the exposition's Chinese Pavilion.