Merchants’ Exchange Building

SITE OVERVIEW

The Merchants’ Exchange Building is now home to the National Park Service’s Eastern Regional Headquarters. While it is part of Independence National Historical Park, it is closed to the public except for a small exhibit on the building’s history and restoration, which is located in the lobby.

The building was constructed between 1831 and 1834. It provided office space for various businesses, with the main tenant being the Philadelphia Exchange Company, the predecessor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. However, as businesses migrated to other areas of the city and technology changed over the years, the Merchants’ Exchange Building fell out of demand. A major renovation in 1901-02 brought back some business, but it remained a shadow of its former self. The last commercial use of the building was from 1921 to 1952 when it was the Produce Exchange, but even the produce market eventually moved to another section of Philadelphia. Realizing the building’s historical significance, it was purchased by the National Park Service in 1952. After a renovation was completed in 1958, it became the NPS’s Eastern Regional Headquarters.

The exterior of the building was returned to its original appearance as much as possible, but there had been so many changes over the years that it was financially impossible to undo everything. No attempt was made to return the interior to its historical state because it needed to function as a contemporary office space.

LOCATION

The Merchants’ Exchange Building is located at the corner of Walnut and 3^rd streets.

OPERATING HOURS

• Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
• Closed all federal holidays

TICKETS AND FEES

There are no tickets or fees associated with entry into the exhibition area of the Merchants’ Exchange Building.

WHAT TO DO

The exhibit at the Merchants’ Exchange Building is comprised entirely of information panels and historical photographs. The panels cover the history of the building and its preservation by the National Park Service.

Information panel from the Merchants’ Exchange Building exhibit

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

It takes about 30 minutes to read all of the information in the Merchants’ Exchange Building exhibit. If you aren’t interested in reading about the building, then there’s no reason to stop in because you can’t get past the lobby.

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