From August 1791 to February 1800, the United States Supreme Court held sessions in the courtroom on the first floor of Old City Hall, sharing space with the Mayor's Court. In 1800, the Capital of the United States was moved to New York City.
The next building you will come to is Philosophical Hall which was built between 1785 and 1789 to provide a central meeting place for members of the American Philosophical Society. The Society's members consisted of doctors, lawyers, clergymen, merchants, and artisans as well as founders of the Republic like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton. The Hall is the headquarters of the American Philosophical Society, which was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743 for "promoting useful knowledge among the British plantations in America."
The building is now open to the public and there are interesting exhibitions to see. The current exhibition, Treasures Revealed: 260 Years of Collecting at the American Philosophical Society, opened in February 2005 and presents highlights from the society's remarkable collection.
