Franklin Court

In 1786, after twenty-four years of foreign employments, Benjamin Franklin wrote that he had finally settled into the house he had built long before as a place to retire. By building his home here, he confirmed his fondness for city life and demonstrated his ingenuity in creating a livable urban environment. Although this part of the city was busy, noisy, and smelly, the windows of his house looked onto grassy plots, gardens, and walkways. When his nation finally allowed him to retire, he seemed content in Franklin Court, where he could withdraw into isolation yet remain close to the activity around him whenever solitude no longer satisfied him.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States