The Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia is delighted to invite you to a momentous evening at the Bellevue Hotel in celebration of our 300th anniversary. Please join us for cocktails, a special awards ceremony and dinner and dancing.

We are pleased to announce that we will present the Master Builders' Award to the General Building Contractors Association (GBCA). Stemming from The Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia, GBCA was established in 1891 for the advancement of commercial construction in the Philadelphia region. As one of the nation's oldest trade associations they serve as as industry watchdog and resource.

The ceremony will also include the presentation of the 2024 McCullough Prize for Excellence in American Public History. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough (John Adams, Truman, 1776) bestowed his name to this prestigious award, which the Carpenters' Company presents to those whose work engages the public in better understanding the American story. Our previous recipients are Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and Christy Coleman, Executive Director of the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation.

We are thrilled to announce that this year's award will be presented to CBS Correspondent, Mo Rocca. Mo Rocca is currently a correspondent on CBS Sunday Morning and host of The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation on CBS. He also hosts the podcast Mobituaries with Mo Rocca, and is a regular panelist on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Mr. Rocca has greatly contributed to the public's understanding and enjoyment of history through multiple mediums including, television, radio and multiple books.

The McCullough Prize for Excellence in American Public History for a local educator will be presented to Elizabeth Taylor of J.R. Masterman Laboratory & Demonstration School. Ms. Taylor has taught history in the School Distric of Philadelphia for almost 20 years, and has left an indelible impact on her students. She is a sponsor of her school's National History Day program & their Voter Registration Club and earned the Governor's Award for Civic Engagement at the Gold Level in 2019-2023. Previous awards that Taylor has received include the 2020 National History Day Hannah E. MacGregor Teacher of the Year Award finalist, 2020 National History Day in Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, 2020 and 2014 National History Day Philly Teacher of the Year, and 2016 Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Following our ceremonies, the evening will conclude with dinner, live entertainment and dancing. Proceeds from the Gala support the Carpenters’ Company’s mission to preserve Carpenters’ Hall as a National Historic Landmark and to nurture emerging professionals in the ACE industries.

The Carpenters' Company has reserved a room block at the Bellevue Hotel for the night of October 26th. If you are interested in staying with us, you can make a reservation here.

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