Independence Hall replicas are buildings, models and miniatures replicating or inspired by the design of

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

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States.

History

Independence Hall (1732–1753) was built as the State House for the Colony of Pennsylvania. The

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

met there from May 1775 to December 1776, from March to September 1777, and from July 1778 to March 1781. The

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

was debated and signed in the hall.

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

under the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...

met there from March 1781 to June 1783. The Constitutional Convention met there from May to September 1787, where it debated, wrote, and signed the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

Buildings

* South San Francisco City Hall (1920),

South San Francisco, California South San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is colloquially known as "South City". The population was 66,105 at the 2020 census. ...

. * Stock Yards National Bank (1925), Chicago, Illinois. *

Reading Hospital The Reading Hospital is a 738-bed non-profit teaching hospital located in the borough of West Reading, in the US state of Pennsylvania. The hospital was established in 1867 and is a part of Tower Health System. The hospital is a certified stroke c ...

(1928),

West Reading, Pennsylvania West Reading is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,212 at the 2010 census. It contains a vibrant main street (Penn Avenue) and the large Reading Hospital and Medical Center. It was also the site of the VF ...

Baker Memorial Library The Baker-Berry Library is the main library at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The fresco, '' The Epic of American Civilization'', was painted by José Clemente Orozco in the lower level of the library, and is a National Historic La ...

(1928),

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

, Hanover, New Hampshire, Jens Fredrick Larson, architect. * Freeport Village Hall (1928),

Freeport, New York Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York state. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest village in New York by population. A settlemen ...

. *

Henry Ford Museum The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a history museum complex in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, United States. The museum collection contains ...

(1929), Dearborn, Michigan, Robert O. Derrick, architect. *

Liberty Motor Car The Liberty Motor Car Company was a vintage era United States automobile maker based in Detroit, Michigan from 1916 to 1923. History Liberty Motor Car Company was started in February 1916 with capital stock of $400,000 to produce medium-pric ...

Company Headquarters (1929), Detroit, Michigan, Robert O. Derrick, architect. In the 1970 and 1980s, it housed offices of Budd-

ThyssenKrupp ThyssenKrupp AG (, ; stylized as thyssenkrupp) is a German industrial engineering and steel production multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. It is the result of the 1999 merger of Thyssen AG and Krupp and h ...

. (Demolished April 2017) *

Walter F. George School of Law Mercer University School of Law (historically Walter F. George School of Law) is the professional law school of Mercer University. Founded in 1873, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States; the first law school accredited by the ...

(1932),

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

. * LaGuardia Hall Library (1936),

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

, Brooklyn, New York. * Founders Library,

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

(1937), Washington, D.C.,

Albert Cassell Albert Irvin Cassell (1895–1969) was a prominent mid-twentieth-century African-American architect in Washington, D.C., whose work shaped many academic communities in the United States. He designed buildings for Howard University in Washington D ...

, architect. * Draper Hall (1938),

Berea College Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. Berea College charges no tuition; every adm ...

, Berea, Kentucky. * Miller Library (1939),

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...

, Jens Fredrick Larson, architect. *

Bellarmine-Jefferson High School Bellarmine-Jefferson High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Burbank, California. It was located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The school was reopened in 2019 as St. John Paul II STEM Academy, which later clo ...

(1944),

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

. Replicates the facade, inner staircase, and handrail. * Ellen Clarke Bertrand Library (1951),

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...

, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Jens Fredrick Larson, architect. * Queens County Savings Bank (1954),

Kew Gardens Hills Kew Gardens Hills is a neighborhood in the middle of the New York City borough of Queens. The borders are Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to the west, the Long Island Expressway to the north, Union Turnpike to the south, and Parsons Boulevard to t ...

, New York, Harold O. Carlson, architect. * Independence Mall (shopping center) (1964), 1601 Concord Pike (

U.S. Route 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massa ...

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. *

Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year. It features 40 ...

(1966),

Buena Park, California Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 mi ...

. A full-size replica claimed to be the only exact replica of the original structure in the U.S. The interior scenes of Independence Hall for the 2004 movie ''

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...

'' were filmed here. * Benjamin Franklin Savings & Loan (1971), 10201 SE Washington Street, Portland, Oregon. Now a Bank of America branch. *

Hall of Presidents The Hall of Presidents is an attraction located in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The attraction is a multi-media presentation featuring Audio-Animatronic figures of all 45 individuals who have served as President ...

(1971),

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Independence Hall was also among the inspirations for the

EPCOT Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

's American pavilion. * Mahler Student Center (1992),

Dallas Baptist University Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a Christian liberal arts university in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College, Dallas Baptist University currently operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst. History Dallas Baptist Uni ...

, Dallas, Texas. * Harold W. Lanzer Museum (1993-2007), 12902 Ohio Route 18, east of

Holgate, Ohio Holgate is a village in Henry County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,109 at the 2010 census. History Holgate, formerly known as Kaufmanville, was platted in 1873 when the railroad was extended to that point and incorporated as a villa ...

. In retirement, carpenter Lanzer spent 14 years building a 3/8-scale replica on his side yard. * Founding Fathers Museum (2014), Rapid City, South Dakota. * (proposed) Center for Law and Liberty,

Houston Baptist University Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University, is a private Baptist university in Houston, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention). Its Cultural Arts Center hou ...

, Houston, Texas. HBU is currently (2015), fund-raising to build an Independence Hall replica to house its law school. File:SSF City Hall.JPG, South San Francisco City Hall (1920), South San Francisco, California File:BakerLibrary.jpg,

(1928), Dartmouth College File:Village Hall-Freeport, New York.jpg, Village Hall (1928), Freeport, New York File:The Henry Ford 2011.jpg,

(1929), Dearborn, Michigan File:Mercerlaw.jpg,

(1932), Mercer University File:East Quad at Brooklyn College (March 2009).jpg, LaGuardia Hall (1936),

File:Howard University Founders Library.jpg, Founders Library (1937),

File:DraperHallBerea.jpg, Draper Hall (1938),

File:Miller Library, Colby College.jpg, Miller Library (1939),

File:Steeple at Bellarmine-Jefferson High School, Burbank, California.JPG,

(1944), Burbank, California File:Ellen Clarke Bertrand Library, Bucknell University (2008).jpg, Ellen Clarke Bertrand Library (1951),

File:Main St 76th Av td (2021-01-24) 04 - Queens County Savings Bank (75-44 Main Street).jpg, Queens County Savings Bank, Queens, New York City File:Independence Hall construction, Knott's Berry Farm, 3-17-1966 (4724915732).jpg, Knott's Berry Farm replica under construction, March 1966 File:Liberty Bell replica at Knott's Berry Farm.jpg, Interior,

(1966), Buena Park, California File:Hall of Presidents MK.JPG,

(1971), Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida File:Mahler Student Center, Dallas Baptist University.jpg, Mahler Student Center (1992),

Exposition buildings

* Pennsylvania Building (1893, demolished),

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordi ...

, Chicago, Illinois * Pennsylvania Building (1907),

Jamestown Exposition The Jamestown Exposition was one of the many world's fairs and expositions that were popular in the United States in the early part of the 20th century. Commemorating the 300th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in the Virginia Colony, it w ...

, Norfolk, Virginia. Now part of

Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Hamp ...

. * Pennsylvania Pavilion (1939, demolished), New York World's Fair, Queens, New York File:Pennsylvania Building — Official Views Of The World's Columbian Exposition — 65.jpg, Pennsylvania Building (1893, demolished),

1893 World's Fair The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

, Chicago File:PA Building Jamestown 1907.jpg, Pennsylvania Building (1907),

, Norfolk, Virginia File:World's Fair. LOC gsc.5a30845.tif, Pennsylvania Pavilion (1939, demolished),

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchas ...

, Queens

Models and Minatures

Under the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

, Pennsylvania began the Museum Extension Project, which employed artists, architects, and craftsmen to create exhibits for the state's museums. Among ae works produced were highly-detailed scale models of historic buildings. In anticipation of the September 1937

sesquicentennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...

of the U.S. Constitution, 2,600 painted plaster models of Independence Hall were mass-produced and shipped to schools and public buildings across the country. *

scale model (1937, painted plaster, WPA), Lobby, U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C.Independence Hall scale model at the U.S. Supreme Court
/ref> * Independence Hall 1:25-scale model,

Minimundus Minimundus is a miniature park in Klagenfurt in Carinthia, Austria. It displays over 150 miniature models of architecture from around the world, built at a ratio of 1:25. History Since its opening in 1958, more than 15 million visitors have visite ...

, Klagenfurt, Austria. Minimundus is a

Miniature park A miniature park is a display of miniature buildings and models, usually as a recreational and tourist attraction open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village ...

of architectural models. * Philly Mini Golf (2006), Franklin Square, 200 N. 6th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania File:Inde Hall Model 1937 FDR Library.jpg, WPA scale model (1937), painted plaster File:Minumundus58.jpg,

, Klagenfurt, Austria, 1994 File:Minimundus58.jpg File:Franklin Square golf.png, Philly Mini Golf (2006), Franklin Square, Philadelphia

History

Buildings

Exposition buildings

Models and Minatures

Notes

References

Further reading