Built by famed architect William Strickland in 1837 the National Mechanics Building has seen banks, churches, clubs, bars and fires pass between its walls, and it’s still standing. This beautiful building, as much a part of Philadelphia history as any tourist attraction, now houses Philadelphia’s favorite bar and restaurant. The gothic, yet warm old world feel combined with refreshing attitudes make National Mechanics similar to Old City itself; a fresh mix of old world form and new world function. The peculiar name for our establishment stems from the building's original incarnation in 1837 as Mechanics National Bank. In fact, as the building was built before the invention of the camera, the earliest picture of the bank was in 1901, when the building featured a particularly snazzy sign reading "MECHANIC$ NATIONAL BANK." Unfortunately, the sign is no longer with us, but the spirit of the craft still is. Our décor is an allusion to all things mechanical from our homemade lighting fixtures to the strange devices running throughout the space to our uniquely designed bathrooms. All of these elements combined with a laid back and off kilter philosophy make this bar what it is. A place designed with real folks in mind and molded by time, our hands and the hands of many before us.
