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The Walnut Street Theatre, 2007.
Credit: Courtesy of Charles Hardy
Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre has been in continuous operation since 1809, longer than any other American theater. Today, it is also one of only a few remaining "hemp houses" in the country, using the original grid, rope, pulley, and sandbag system that was in use two centuries ago. The exterior façade, built in 1828, was designed by architect John Haviland, whose other buildings include Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary.