Indy Hall Explained

Indy Hall is a coworking community with an international online membership and a communal space based in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia.^{[1] [2]} It was originally founded in late 2006, in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, by Alex Hillman^[3] and Geoff DiMasi, making it one of the oldest independent coworking spaces in the United States and the oldest coworking space in the city of Philadelphia.

History

• September 2006 – Alex Hillman first shares coworking concept^[4] at a Barcamp-style event for creatives and entrepreneurs. Fellow attendee Lauren Galanter suggests the name "Independents Hall", both a wordplay on the historical Independence Hall in Old City, and to refer to a place for freelance workers to gather.
• March 2007 – Inaugural meetup^[5] to organize around establishing the first dedicated coworking space in Philadelphia.
• August 2007 – With 22 founding members, a lease is signed for an 1800 square foot loft in Old City Philadelphia.
• September 1, 2007 – Official grand opening.^[6]
• May 2009 – A new 4500 square foot coworking space^[7] is established on N3rd Street.
• May 2012 – Coworking space is expanded to 8000+ square feet to include the ground floor^[8] and multi-medium art gallery program.^[9]
• August 2013 – Indy Hall collaborates with local businesses to establish the N3rd Street Farmers Market.^[10]
• August 2016 – After 18 months of searching for a new home,^[11] coworking space is relocated to the 3rd floor of an Old City building owned by Colonial Penn.
• December 2017 – The first coworking-based Girl Scout Troop is established by Lansie Sylvia, Arielle Brousse and Joanna Leigh Simon.^[12]
• March 2020 – Covid 19 Pandemic forces the community entirely online.^[13]
• July 2021 – Officially closed space in Colonial Penn building.^[14]
• January 2022 – Reopened in the Northern Liberties neighborhood for members only in-person coworking.^[15]

Further reading

• "Coworking Growing in Popularity across Philadelphia". States News Service.
• "The Indy Hall Experiment". Philadelphia.
• "Timaree's Body: Indy Hall In-Depth". Philadelphia Weekly.
• "Philly Is in the Middle of a Co-Working Boom. Here's Why". Thrillist.
• Working in the Unoffice: A Guide to Coworking for Indie Workers, Small Businesses, and Nonprofits. Night Owls Press. p. 217.
  • Working in the Unoffice – pp. 53–54.
• "A New Way of Working". Success.

Notes and References

1. The Indy Hall Experiment. Philadelphia Magazine. October 25, 2011. April 27, 2017.
2. Indy Hall finds new, expanded home in Old City. Biz Journals. April 6, 2016. April 27, 2017.
3. Web site: Philly Pride: I'm ready to swallow mine, how about you?. Hillman. Alex. September 19, 2006. DangerouslyAwesome.
4. Web site: my first barcamp, my first coworking pitch, and how Indy Hall got its name. dangerouslyawesome.com. 17 September 2006 . en. 2019-09-16.
5. Web site: first philly coworking meetup. dangerouslyawesome.com. 20 March 2007 . en. 2019-09-16.
6. Web site: Employment: A step up from working in PJs. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. en. 2019-09-16.
7. Web site: Video walk-through of the new IndyHall coworking facility. Kirk. Brian James/. 2009-05-13. Technical.ly Philly. en. 2019-09-16.
8. Web site: Indy Hall expansion update: photos of construction progress for Old City coworking staple. Borofsky. Yael. 2012-05-14. Technical.ly Philly. en. 2019-09-16.
9. Web site: Second Saturday Synesthesia: not just tech, Indy Hall hosts concert series. Neuman. Lana. 2013-06-13. Technical.ly Philly. en. 2019-09-16.
10. Web site: Indy Hall to launch weekly N3rd Street Farmers Market. Reyes. Juliana. 2013-08-01. Technical.ly Philly. en. 2019-09-16.
11. Web site: The end of Indy Hall's 'weird year'. Wink. Christopher /. 2016-08-08. Technical.ly Philly. en. 2019-09-16.
12. Web site: Meet Indy Hall's youngest members: Girl Scout Troop #9573. Torres. Roberto /. 2016-12-05. Technical.ly Philly. en. 2019-09-16.
13. Web site: staff. Paige Gross /. 2020-05-19. How Indy Hall is maintaining its community remotely. 2022-02-19. Technical.ly. en.
14. Web site: staff. Paige Gross /. 2021-07-22. Indy Hall is closing its hub at 399 Market. But Philly's first coworking space lives on online. 2022-02-19. Technical.ly. en.
15. Web site: staff. Paige Gross /. 2022-02-01. Indy Hall's new pilot will connect freelancers and self-employed pros to affordable healthcare coverage. 2022-02-19. Technical.ly. en.