In 2026, Econsult Solutions was hired to conduct an updated economic impact analysis of the proposed reconstruction of the historic Tun Tavern, a site of importance in American history as an early meeting place for figures such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, and the birthplace of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy. The Foundation envisions a multi-purpose establishment combining a faithful reproduction of the colonial tavern as an educational and cultural attraction with a full-service restaurant. To build the case for the project and support its fundraising and donor outreach, the Foundation needed a credible third-party assessment of the economic and fiscal benefits the redevelopment could generate for the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
ESI prepared an economic and fiscal impact analysis covering three distinct sources of project activity: one-time capital investment during the construction period; ongoing annual operations at stabilization; and ancillary spending by visitors drawn to the site. Construction and operating inputs were developed from project specifications provided by the Foundation and a mix of industry-standard assumptions, including square-footage-per-employee ratios applied across the development’s tavern, restaurant, and concession uses.
ESI modeled direct, indirect, and induced effects using a custom input-output model to the regional economy and translated the resulting economic activity into tax revenue projections using its proprietary fiscal impact model calibrated to current City and Commonwealth tax rates. To estimate visitor-driven impacts, ESI built ancillary spending profiles from projected visitation, applying conservative assumptions about the share of spending occurring outside the development’s own operating budget and the portion retained within the local and state economies.
ESI’s analysis provided the Tun Tavern Legacy Foundation with an independent, defensible quantification of the redevelopment’s projected value to Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, giving the Foundation a credible evidence base to support its fundraising and donor engagement efforts. By translating the project’s historical and civic significance into concrete economic, employment, and tax revenue terms, the study equipped the Foundation to make the case for the reconstruction to prospective donors and stakeholders.
