The 400 Block of Library Street

The 400 block of Library Street, located between 4th and 5th Streets and Chestnut and Walnut Streets.

     This is a brief history of the 400 block of Library Street in Philadelphia, located between 4th and 5th Streets and Chestnut and Walnut Streets, just 1 block east of Independence Hall.

      In Colonial Philadelphia, the land that would eventually become the 400 block of Library Street was then the rear gardens of 3 Chestnut Street properties:

1) the home/tavern of Benjamin Armitage "Sign of the Anvil and Double Cross Keys" located on the SW corner of 4th and Chestnut. Armitage ran unsuccessfully for the office of City Coroner in 1773 and 74. He died in 1789.

2) The mansion of Charles Norris. Built in 1750, the 3-story Georgian Mansion was considered to be one of the finest houses in Philadelphia during the 1750's, 60's and 70's. The rear garden was noted for its lush fruit trees.

The mansion and gardens were burned by the British Army when they pulled out of Philadelphia in June of 1778. Charles Norris' grandson, Isaac Norris rebuilt the Mansion after the Revolutionary War but on a much smaller scale.

3) the home of Dr. Peter Campbell at the SE corner of 5th and Chestnut. Campbell owned a 25 year old Negro slave named Aaron Williams. When Campbell died during the Summer of 1779 all of his property, including Aaron, was confiscated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Sadly, Aaron, a man who lived just across the street from Independence Hall, was resold by Pennsylvania in a slave auction on May 1, 1780.
      Library Street was born in 1789 when Benjamin Franklin's Library Company of Philadelphia purchased the Campbell property and a portion of the Norris Mansion garden and erected a Library.The Library was built at the rear of the Campbell property along 5th Street half way between Chestnut and Walnut. A small lane was added through what was once the Norris Mansion garden connecting 4th and 5th Street. This lane became the 400 block of Library Street. Over the next 50 years 14 or so more buildings were added to Library Street and was home to Bankers, Lawyers, Soldiers, Printers, Thinkers and Drinkers.

      The top left photo was taken in January of 1859. It shows the South side of Library Street from #400 (far left) up to #416 (far right). From the 1859 City Directory, here are the people that worked in these buildings:

400-404 Library: was owned by Howell Evans, printer. This was a huge 4 story property on the SW corner of 4th and Library. It had an entrance on 4th Street and 2 on Library Street. Evans was 33 when he moved his printing business to Library Street in 1851 and he stayed there for more than 35 years. He advertised in 1859 that he had a steam powered fastcard press and could turn out 10,000 cards an hour for sale $1.50 per 1000. In 1859, besides his 12 employees, these people also had offices in Evan's building: Charles D Freeman (lawyer/alderman), FE Hayes and Samuel Salter (lawyers), Herman Roettger (optician), George Townsend (publisher), E Headley Bailey and Maurice Alexander (insurance brokers) and James Louderback and Gustavus Hoffman (designers and wood engravers). Howell Evans died on February 16, 1891 of Apoplexy.

406 Library: first floor William Keyser (barber), second floor Charles Watkins and Peter Weaver (ship brokers)

408 Library: Isaiah Bryan's "Our House" Hotel. The Our House Hotel was established by the 1830's. Bryan bought the Hotel at age 41 in 1858. In May of 1861, just a month after the start of the Civil War, Bryan joined the 18th Infantry Regiment of Pennsylvania and was appointed 1st Lieutenant. He was sent to help protect Baltimore from the Rebels. After his 3 month enlistment was up, he returned home. He re-enlisted on March 20, 1862 and was appointed Captain in the 99th Infantry. He died at age 47 on February 4, 1864 from a bleeding ulcer. He was given a military funeral at the "Our House" Hotel.

410 Library: William Jack (carriage maker). William was 49 years old when he moved his business to Library Street in 1858. In 1868, he took his 21 year old son Robert into the business and changed the name to William Jack and Son. William died of Liver disease on October 29, 1878. Robert kept up the business and brought in his younger brother William in 1880. The photo on the bottom left shows Robert (mustache) and William outside their shop in 1880. They are facing the rear of the old Customs house. They stayed in business until 1895. In 1902 The American Bank Note Company built their manufacturing plant here. It was at this site in 1902 when Tracy R Edson came up with the green dye added to bank notes to make them harder to copy.

412-416 Library: Military Hall. By 1810 it was obvious that we were heading to war with England again, so the Hall was built as an arsenal. After the War of 1812, it was turned into a lager beer hall. It was a very popular meeting place for soldiers and militia men. The Union Army held recruitment drives at the Hall (as well as at the "Our House" Hotel). The Hall had several owners over the years. At the time of the top left photo, the owner was John F Heishley. Heishley bought the Hall in 1858. In 1861 he was appointed a Captain of the John Hancock Guards, a private militia group that was assigned to the 2nd Delaware Infantry Regiment. He served for the duration of the war and received several wounds. 
     After the war, he moved to Alexandria Virginia where he opened a grocery store. The next owners, Gustavus Bergner and Charles Engel turned the Hall into a brew pub. From 1889 - 1896 the owner was James G Gosch. Gosch was and ex deputy sheriff and the Secretary of the Mercantile Appraisers Board. He changed the Hall into a Chop and Oyster House. This change appealed to the growing number of Lawyers who were taking offices on Library Street. The Oct 22, 1889 Phila Inquirer called his place a "Goldmine". In 1907, Gosch sold Military Hall to William J VanHook. Gosch opened the Hotel Aberdeen at Broad and Filbert in April of 1896. Sadly he died of Brights Disease on December 2, 1896 at age 48. William J VanHook changed the name of Military Hall to VanHook's Restaurant. VanHook went bankrupt in 1915 and closed the restaurant in 1917. As of April 4, 1920, the building was up for sale. I could find no further history on the building. Like the rest of Library Street, it did not survive the 1950's creation of Independence Mall.

418 Library: William Quinn (Velocipede). William Quinn was a Blacksmith. In 1858 he began to manufacture velocipedes (early kind of bicycle). In 1864 he moved to 10th and Sansom. Later in life he was a coach maker. He died of Apoplexy on June 28, 1899.

There were 2 more buildings on the south side of Library Street not seen in the top left photo. They were:

420-422 Library: aka Goldsmith's Hall. Built in 1851, it was a large 6 story building home to many businesses.
In 1859 they were: E Tracy (watch case maker), Harvey and Ford ( Ivory workers) along with 18 employees, Edward S Markley (printer/bookbinder) along with 13 employees, Peysson and Shoemaker (poudrette mfg......fertilizer made from manure and coal dust), Alexander Murphy (notary public), John B Jones (publisher), Robert Hutchinson (real estate), Lewis E Wells (Gold Chain mfg) and Ferdinand J Dreer and Samuel Sears (jewelry mfg) and Lawyers Samuel Chew, A I Fish, John Flint, William W Juvenal, Harris L Sproat, Edgar M Chipman and Charles G Harres. Goldsmith's Hall burned down on December 20, 1882.

SW Corner of Library and 5th: Mercantile Library Building, built in 1845.
Also not seen in the top left photo is the north side of Library Street. There were only a few buildings on the north side. They were:

401 Library: William H Foster (Exchange Office).

403 Library: Richard Joyce (printer's furniture mfg), W F Pullinger (glass reflector mfg), H A Salter (scrivener) and Samuel A Salter jr (lawyer).

405 Library: Edward Hurst and Joseph Bradston (lawyers and notaries).

407 Library: John Anderson (Sec and Treasurer of Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad and Coal Company).

427 Library: Sharp Family Jewelers (A Sharp- diamond setter, William Sharp- jeweler, George Sharp- silversmith)

      No houses could be built in between 407 and 427 because the US Custom House on Chestnut street extended back to the north side of Library Street. The Custom House was built as the Second Bank of the United States in 1816 where the Charles Norris Mansion once stood. The Bank closed in 1836 when President Andrew Jackson refused to renew its charter. The building was used as the US Custom House from 1845 to 1934. In the bottom left photo, the Jack brothers are facing the rear portico of the Custom House. Just behind 401 to 407 was the Philadelphia National Bank Building which was built in 1808 replacing Benjamin Armitage's Tavern.

      The first building that was built on the block, The Library Company of Philadelphia Library on the NE Corner of 5th and Library was torn down in 1888 and was replaced with the Drexel Building. In 1897 the name of Library Street was changed to Samson Street. During the 1950's, Independence Mall was developed and the entire block was razed, except for the Old Custom House. In 1958 the American Philosophical Society built a library on the site of the original Library Company building. As for the rest of Library Street, it is now an 18th century style Courtyard between 4th and 5th Streets and Chestnut and Walnut Streets.