Anyone who has worked in an emergency response job knows that false alarms from fire and security systems are a fact of life, but on Tuesday morning last week, a smoke alarm from a building at Independence National Historical Park proved to be the real deal. A prompt response by firefighters prevented major damage to the historic Second Bank building, but an important collection of artwork received signficant impacts from the smoke.  

At about 7:30 a.m. on January 13, park dispatch received a smoke alarm from the Second Bank, which houses exhibits and a permanent collection of nearly 200 historic portraits. Rangers who responded to the alarm discovered a serious situation: heavy smoke filling the main floor gallery space.

Rangers confirmed that the building was evacuated, determined that the origin of the fire was in the mechanical room in the basement, and guided Philadelphia Fire Department firefighters to its location. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the park staff has expressed its appreciation for the quick and effective response by  the city's fire department.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire was started by a mechanical malfunction in an air handler, which in turn ignited combustible materials within the unit. Smoke then traveled through the building’s exhibit space via the ventilation system.

No Structural Damage, But Plenty of Smoke Residue

The good news is there were no injuries and no significant damage to the structure, but smoke heavily impacted most areas of the building, including the portrait gallery which houses 195 portraits, many of them by 18th century artist Charles Willson Peale.

According to a park spokesperson, residue from the heavy toxic smoke covered almost all surfaces in the building, including the ventilation system, the carpets, marble interior features, and the portraits. A "significant amount of cleaning and conservation work on the portraits and other collections housed in the building is anticipated," and based on a preliminary assessment, the Second Bank will likely remain closed until mid-May.

The exhibits in the Second Bank include more than portraits, such as this wooden statue of George Washington. NPS photo.

Park curators and outside conservators will work together during the coming months to clean each portrait and other museum objects housed in the Second Bank. Once the building itself has been properly cleaned, it will re-open to the public while this conservation work on the art and exhibits progresses.

The Second Bank building itself is a considered a work of art. Designed by architect William Strickland and built between 1819 and 1824, the structure is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture. Now part of Independence National Historical Park, the building houses the "People of Independence" exhibit, which includes a permanent collection of over 150 portraits of 18th and 19th century political leaders, military officers, explorers and scientists.

Many of the portraits housed in the building were by noted artist Charles Willson Peale. In the early 1800's, these likenesses of "worthy Personages" were exhibited in Peale's Philadelphia Museum, located on the second floor of Independence Hall. Additional portraits by other artists, particularly a number by British pastel artists James and Ellen Sharples, have been added to the collection through the years.

If you're planning a visit to the park later this spring and want to know if the exhibits in the Second Bank have reopened, you can check on the status at this link about the Second Bank on the park website.