NO. 8. PHILADELPHIA (Merchants’) EXCHANGE, on the northeast corner of Third and Walnut Streets. Built between 1832 and 1834, this building is noteworthy for the beauty of its architecture. For many years it was the meeting place for merchants and was the center of the commercial activities of Philadelphia. The building is not open to the public. [Illustration: {First Bank of the United States}] NO. 9. FIRST BANK OF THE UNITED STATES, on the west side of South Third Street, between Walnut and Chestnut Streets. Built between 1795 and 1797, this structure is probably the oldest bank building in the United States. The First Bank of the United States was established as part of the comprehensive program developed by Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, to rectify the disordered state of Government finances. The building, with its interesting classical facade, was occupied by the First Bank of the United States until the expiration of its charter in 1811. In the following year, the building was purchased by Stephen Girard, the wealthy merchant of Philadelphia, who opened his bank there. Now the office of the Board of Directors of City Trusts, the building is open to the public from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. daily, except Saturday and Sunday. [Illustration: {Carpenters’ Hall}] NO. 10. CARPENTERS’ HALL, 320 Chestnut Street. In September 1774, when the delegates to the first Continental Congress came to Philadelphia, they chose to meet in Carpenters’ Hall rather than the State House. The Hall, built in 1770, was the guild hall of the Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia, founded in 1724. In 1773, the building was also occupied by the Library Company of Philadelphia, whose books were used by the Continental Congress. Following the Revolution, the building was rented for many purposes by the Carpenters’ Company. In 1857, they repaired the Hall and opened it as a historic shrine. The building and its grounds, still maintained by the Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia, is a part of Independence National Historical Park under a cooperative agreement with the Department of the Interior and is open daily, except Sunday and Monday, from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. free of charge. [Illustration: {Franklin Court}]