President's House (Ninth Street)
| President's House | |
|---|---|
The House intended for the President of the United States, in Ninth Street Philadelphia, by W. Birch & Son (1799) | |
Interactive map of the President's House area | |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Location | Ninth Street, between Market Street and Chestnut Street, Philadelphia |
| Coordinates | 39°57′03″N 75°09′20″W / 39.95083°N 75.15556°W |
| Construction started | May 10, 1792 Cornerstone |
| Completed | 1797 |
| Demolished | 1829 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | William Williams |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Benjamin Henry Latrobe |
President's House (Ninth Street) was a mansion built in Philadelphia to house the President of the United States. Philadelphia served as the temporary national capital, 1790-1800, while what is now Washington, D.C. was under construction. The Government of Pennsylvania built the house between 1792 and 1797 as part of an unsuccessful effort to persuade the federal government to abandon the District of Columbia, and make Philadelphia the permanent capital of the United States. The house was located on the west side of Ninth Street between Market and Chestnut Streets.
No president ever occupied the Ninth Street house. From November 1790 to March 1797, George Washington occupied a house on Market Street (then High Street), near the southeast corner with Sixth Street. John Adams occupied that same house from March 1797 to Summer 1800. Then Adams was the first occupant of the not-yet-finished White House in November 1800, but he lost the 1800 presidential election to Thomas Jefferson that same month.
In 1800, the Ninth Street house was purchased at public auction by the University of Pennsylvania, and became the centerpiece of a new, expanded campus. The university demolished the house in 1829 and replaced it with two new buildings.