The City Tavern
Completed on the eve of the American Revolution to serve the elite of Philadelphia, the City Tavern soon hosted the elite of an emerging American nation.
The City Tavern, like many other 18th Century taverns, was more than a “bar.” It was a center for political discussions, business transactions, and social events. Members of the Continental Congress lodged, dined, and celebrated here.
The building in front of you is a reconstruction of the original 1773 tavern. Today visitors from around the world may enjoy lunch or dinner here at what John Adams called “the most genteel” tavern in America.
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The City Tavern in Philadelphia was erected at a great expense by a voluntary subscription of the principal gentlemen of the city or the convenience of the public, and is much the largest and most elegant house occupied in that way in America. —Philadelphia Packet, 1884.
Marker is on South 2nd Street just from Walnut Street, on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
