In 1789 to 1790, hoping to persuade Congress to reconsider their move to the District of Columbia, the city of Philadelphia expanded Samuel Lewis’ modest newly erected Philadelphia County Courthouse to make a grand hall to house both houses of Congress. The first level was made into a chamber for the House of Representatives, and the second floor was converted into a chamber for the U.S. Senate. Despite these changes, and the creation of a magnificent mansion for the President of the United States, Congress still went ahead with its planned move on May 14, 1800. Despite this disappointment, in its ten years spent as the capitol building, Congress Hall saw many historic events take place within its chambers, including the admittance of three new states, the ratification of the U.S. Bill of Rights in 1791, the second inauguration of President George Washington in 1793, and the inauguration of President John Adams in 1797. It was also here that Congress agreed to establish the First Bank of the United States and the first federal Mint. In 1800, after the capital officially moved to Washington, D.C., Congress Hall served as the Philadelphia County Courthouse and was the location of the state and federal courts during the early 19th century. Today, Congress Hall is included along with Independence Hall in the public tour.
Now, let’s move along to the other building in this specific print, the New Theatre. Situated at Chestnut Street near the corner of Sixth Street, across from Congress Hall, the New Theatre began building in 1791 and opened to the public in 1793, though the finishing touches were not complete until 1805. It was the first theater in the United States built solely as a venue for paying audiences. Modeled after the Theatre Royal in Bath, England, it could comfortably sit 2,000 people. For a time, it was reverently referred to as one of the seven wonders of America. In 1820, four years after it became the first American theater to use gas fixtures rather than candlelight or oil lamps as a means of lighting, the New Theatre burned down under suspicious circumstances. When William Birch issued an updated edition of his Philadelphia views in 1828. he included the rebuilt theatre, which was again consumed by fire in 1856.
