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The Old London Coffee House
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The Old London Coffee House Blanc, A., del., photograph ca. 1853, billows smoke from two chimneys and is the central building depicted in this crowded, city, street scene. Among the many shoppers and merchants milling along the outside of the city street buildings are men, women, children and even animals running free. The street is filled with all of the above and includes a horse and carriage, a single rider on his stead, and a covered wagon to the far left.

Credit: The Library Company of Philadelphia

Opened by printer William Bradford in 1754, the London Coffee hosted Philadelphia's first merchants" exchange. Closed during the British occupation of Philadelphia, the London Coffee House never recovered its former glory, as merchants flocked to the newer and more spacious City Tavern on 2nd Street. Converted into a general story in 1791, the London Coffee House was eventually torn down.

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