Nothing to see here

A partial explanation of the plaque (“ON THIS SITE IN 1897 NOTHING HAPPENED”) is that the surrounding neighbourhood is the original colonial area of Philadelphia, known informally as “the birthplace of the United States.”

Just a few blocks away, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and a little bit further that same document was signed and announced in the Pennsylvania State House.

In the area, there are many many plaques saying “XXX happened here in XXX,” so presumably someone was making a good joke!

Asst. Prof. Dr. Christopher S. Wilson
Department of Architecture, Izmir University of Economics, Turkey