Second Bank of the United States

This is the original Second Bank of the United States, a national bank chartered in 1816 under President James Madison and constructed in Philadelphia between 1818 and 1824. The architect, William Strickland, based the Greek Revival design on the Parthenon. In September 1833 President Andrew Jackson announced that the government would no longer deposit federal funds in the bank. He subsequently withdrew all federal money, which led to the bank's closure. In 1844 Strickland redesigned the building for use as the U.S. Custom House, and it continued to serve in that capacity until 1935. The building houses the Portrait Gallery of Independence National Historic Park.