Second Bank of the United States

The Second Bank of the United States was established in 1816 to hold government deposits and regulate currency, and it dominated American finance for more than a decade. Its temple-like character inspired both defenders and critics: Bank President Nicholas Biddle argued for its value, while U.S. President Andrew Jackson condemned it as a “hydra of corruption.” Jackson vetoed the bank’s recharter and distributed government deposits to smaller banks, stripping it of its financial power. In time, as the controversies over finance and philosophy faded, its architecture came to be valued above the institution itself. Designed by William Strickland, it has been called the finest example of Greek Revival architecture in the United States.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States