The Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia is the oldest extant craft

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Founded in 1724, the Company consists of nearly 200 prominent

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

area architects, building contractors and structural engineers and has had nearly 900 members in its almost three centuries of existence. The Company built, owns and continues to operate

Carpenters' Hall Carpenters' Hall, in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the official birthplace of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a key meeting place for colonial delegates during the early part of the American Revolut ...

located in Philadelphia's

Independence National Historical Park Independence National Historical Park is a federally protected historic district in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution and the nation's founding history. Administered by the National ...

. In 1774 the Hall served as the site of the

First Continental Congress The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates of twelve of the Thirteen Colonies held from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia at the beginning of the American Revolution. The meeting was organized b ...

History

Although it was founded in 1724, The Carpenters’ Company traces its roots back to the very beginning of Philadelphia. Its earliest members arrived with

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

in 1682 and took part in constructing the first homes and public spaces in what are now the Old City and

Society Hill Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 6,215 . Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia.The Center ...

neighborhoods of

Center City, Philadelphia Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the ci ...

. These master builders, many of whom began their careers in carpentry before also becoming skilled in both construction and architectural design, banded together to create a guild to support their industry. The guild (then referred to as a “Company”) was modeled after the

Worshipful Company of Carpenters The Worshipful Company of Carpenters is a livery company of the City of London. The Carpenters were traditionally different from a fellow wood-crafting company, the Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers, in that carpenters utilised nails whi ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Many early members were

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

, whose beliefs influenced the Company's mission to promote fair business dealings, expand educational opportunities and support members in times of need. In ''Building Early America'', author Roger W. Moss writes, “The generation of Carpenters that emerged in the early eighteenth century were leaders of the community, men of some wealth and position who, if not of the first rank, were in daily social and political association with city and provincial leaders.” With strong connections to major civic leaders, early members were able to play instrumental roles in the design and construction of such important colonial era Philadelphia buildings as Christ Church,

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of ...

City Tavern The City Tavern is a late-20th century building designed to be the replica of the historic 18th-century tavern and hotel building which stood on the site. It is located at 138 South 2nd Street in Philadelphia, at the intersection of Second and ...

, and Old Swedes' Church (Gloria Dei). This involvement in civic life extended to politics as well, as later on virtually the entire Company membership actively supported the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and most of the members volunteered to serve in the American army. In 1770, after decades in existence, the Company voted to build a meeting space and headquarters. That project would become Carpenters’ Hall, which just months after completion in 1774 came to serve as the meeting ground not just for the

, but also later for

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

’s negotiations with French spy Julien Alexandre Achard de Bonvouloir and the site for Franklin’s Library Company. Carpenters’ Hall itself was designed and built by Carpenters’ Company member Robert Smith, who today is acknowledged as “one of the most prominent and skilled architect/builders in colonial America.” As Philadelphia grew and prospered in the 19th and 20th centuries, Carpenters’ Company members continued their involvement in the creation of important public buildings both in and outside of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the office ...

Reading Terminal The Reading Terminal ( ) is a complex of buildings that includes the former Reading Company main railroad station, station located in the Market East, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Market East section of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City in ...

, and more recent projects at prestigious centers of higher education like the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

, and

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

were all shaped by Carpenters’ Company members.

Company library

The Carpenters’ Company sponsored a school of architecture in the 19th century for which they assembled an impressive collection of architectural pattern books for the use of members, their apprentices and the students. This collection survives intact and constitutes one of the finest pre-Civil War architectural libraries in the United States. Due to the rare and fragile nature of the individual items, the library is not open to the public except by special permission.

Today

Nearing its 300th anniversary, the Carpenters’ Company remains an active and influential organization. In addition to preserving and maintaining Carpenters’ Hall, the Company serves as an important forum for cooperation amongst many of Philadelphia's most successful

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

structural engineer Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research List of structural elements, structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of ...

s and

builders Builder may refer to: Construction * Construction worker, who specializes in building work * Carpenter, a skilled craftsman who works with wood * General contractor, that specializes in building work ** Subcontractor * Real estate developer, who ...

. The Company also has a scholarship program supporting students pursuing careers in architecture, structural engineering, or construction management/engineering. In order to join the Carpenters’ Company, candidates for membership must be nominated and elected by current members.

Notes

1. Charles E. Peterson, "Carpenters' Hall" ''Historic Philadelphia'' (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1953), pp. 96–128 2. Roger W. Moss. "Carpenters' Hall," ''Historic Landmarks of Philadelphia'' (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008), pp. 42–47 3. Roger W. Moss, "The Origins of The Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia," in Charles E. Perterson (ed), ''Building Early America'' (Radnor, PA: Chilton Book Company, 1976), pp. 35–53

References

External links

"The Company"
at