White House wants more funding to prep Philly’s Independence Hall for semiquincentennial

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President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week with a directive for the Department of the Interior to allocate “sufficient funding” for “restoring” Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary next year.

That wasn’t something Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corp., expected.

“We were pleasantly surprised to see that there was a mention of Independence Park because we haven’t heard of any prioritization of it,” Lovell said.

The executive order lacks specific details regarding the amount of funding or the exact nature of the improvements but Lovell, who was recently tapped to run Philadelphia250, said she hopes it is also a sign that the federal government will get serious about properly funding the park.

“This can’t just be funding that we find in couch cushions,” she told WHYY News. “This has to be a prioritization that’s made by our elected officials to really understand that the investment needs to happen now in order to prepare this park for 2026, to prepare it for visitors.”

The White House directive was couched within a broader executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” in which the president accused former President Joe Biden’s administration of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, also known as DEI, focused on “dismantling ‘Western foundations’” and “‘interrogating institutional racism’” and instructing “National Historical Park rangers that their racial identity should dictate how they convey history to visiting Americans because America is purportedly racist.”

Independence National Historical Park encompasses several significant landmarks, including the Liberty Bell, Congress Hall and Independence Hall — the site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It is the only space in Philadelphia managed by the U.S. National Park Service, though it is officially owned by the city.

The site stood at the heart of the nation’s Bicentennial celebrations, when the city hosted a series of events that attracted an estimated 2 million visitors. The week leading up to July 4, dubbed Freedom Week, featured daily celebrations, street parties, parades, picnics and concerts. ​President Gerald Ford delivered a speech and actor Charlton Heston served as emcee. On July 6, Queen Elizabeth II presented the Bicentennial Bell as a gift from the British people to the U.S.

Sean Connolly, executive director of Arch Street Meeting House, a Quaker landmark dating back to 1682, said many visitors are drawn to the city by Independence Hall and contribute to local businesses. According to National Park Service data, the park’s annual impact on the local economy averages $228 million.

“Thousands of visitors come through Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell every day,” Connolly said. “They’re spending their dollars at the cheesesteak shop down the street. They’re renting hotels around the block from us. They’re coming to our historic sites and museums. So this national park is the beating heart of Old City.”

Recently, the park was awarded $85 million from public and private sources to tackle a backlog of maintenance projects, but recent cuts to the National Park Service and a hiring freeze have fueled concerns that it won’t be ready for next year’s festivities. In February, two probationary employees were terminated and at least 30 positions remain unfilled.

“It’s a 54-acre park with numerous historic buildings. Things go wrong. Things break. Things need to be repaired. That’s all normal, but the inability to have to hire additional staffers to make sure that everything shines for the 250th, that’s a difficult place to put this park in,” said Jonathan Burton, director of development at Independence Historical Trust, a philanthropic organization that supports Independence Hall including raising funds for the renovations.

However, Burton says that he is hopeful that the executive order shows that the White House understands the urgency necessary to get the park ready for the semiquincentennial.

“You can’t just do everything next year,” he said. “You’ve got to prepare in 2025 for smooth sailing in 2026.”

Stakeholders say they are pleased by efforts at the city and state level to contribute to 2026 but none of it is specifically for the park. Led by Isaiah Thomas, Philadelphia City Council recently approved $17 million for semiquincentennial preparation. In his latest budget proposal, Gov. Josh Shapiro asked the state legislature for another $65 million.

However, with the addition of the executive order, such efforts are adding to stakeholders’ confidence.

“We’ve been saying it for a long time that there needs to be increased investment and it’s starting to happen,” said Michael Norris, executive director of Carpenter’s Hall, another historic landmark that adjoins Independence National Historical Park. “That’s good.”

Fran Grumell, who was enjoying a warm and sunny Sunday at the park, told WHYY News that she really hopes the city is prepared for the influx of visitors next year, adding that it will reflect on the entire country. She added that she had family in Italy that visited the U.S. recently.

“They went to New York because New York’s the place to be,” Grumell said. “Then they came to visit us and we brought them down here [to Independence Hall], and their exact words were, ‘This is what we believed America is all about.’”

Although time is becoming short, Lovell says she’s “not worried” that Philadelphia and the park will be ready.

“We’re a city that planned a Super Bowl parade in less than a week and it was pretty dang fantastic,” she said. “There’s incredible things planned throughout the city and including this historic district. We have amazing events and programs planned for 2026. We will be ready to welcome people with open arms and we will make sure that they have an incredible experience here.”

WHYY News Staff Writer Cory Sharber contributed to this story.