First Bank of the United States
Revitalizing the birthplace of the American economy.
Overview
The First Bank of the United States is the oldest federal building in the country, yet it has been closed to the public for over fifty years. We were tasked with transforming this architectural landmark into a museum dedicated to the invisible force that shaped America: its economy. The Bank was the physical setting for the fierce battle between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson—a clash between central power and states' rights that still echoes in our politics today. Our design proves that the economy wasn't just an abstract system, but a human story of risk, ambition, and survival.
Partners
John Milner Architects, The Bedwell Company
Services
Concept Design, Exhibition Design, Design Development, Documentation
The Details
We transformed economic history from a lecture into a tangible experience. In the Money In, Money Out exhibit, a central interactive table traces the flow of currency through the hands of everyday citizens, showing how a single dollar connected a Philadelphia merchant to a frontier farmer. We didn't shy away from the darker roots of American wealth: the exhibits explicitly trace how the brutal economics of slavery powered the nation's rise. The experience culminates in the restored 1902 Rotunda, a cathedral of commerce where visitors can stand in the very room where the American financial system was born.
