Franklin Court

Benjamin Franklin began construction on his new home off Market Street in 1764. Centered between Third and Fourth Streets and Market and Chestnut, the home would offer distance from the bustle of city streets and the tan yards fronting Dock Creek, close by. In Franklin’s absence, Carpenters’ Company member, Samuel Rhoads oversaw the construction of the house disbursing payments for supplies and to builders such as plasterer William Anderson, and John and Joseph Ledru for work on stairs. Robert Smith designed the building and his fellow Carpenters’ Company member, Robert Allison, did additional woodwork. Unfortunately the house was demolished in 1812 but Independence National Historical Park after exhaustive archaeology commissioned Robert Venturi (Carpenters’ Company member and his partner John Rauch) to devise a plan to interpret the site .   Their striking steel “ghost” structure enables the visitor to imagine the interior outlined in rooms through archaeological excavations and the help of a Philadelphia Contributionship insurance survey. An underground museum explores Franklin’s life more fully.