Second Bank of the United States

Independence National Historical Park
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Strickland's design helped establish the precedence of the Greek Revival in the design of government and financial buildings in the U.S.

 

Located on the south side of Chestnut Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets in Philadelphia, the Second Bank of the United States served as the federal government's second attempt to establish a national banking institution and represented Philadelphia's status as the financial center of the country. Employing the Doric order of the Parthenon on the porticos of the north and south facades, Strickland's design helped establish the precedence of the Greek Revival in the design of government and financial buildings in the U.S. After the Bank's charter was not renewed in 1836, it became the United States Bank of Pennsylvania for a brief period, after which the building served as the U.S. Custom House until 1935. The National Park Service acquired the building in 1939, when it was declared a national monument.

 

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