Independence Hall in Philadelphia

Independence Hall in Philadelphia is part of Independence National Historic Park, it is not among the buildings being shut down in the park due to the hiring freeze. Photographed Feb. 20, 2017. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

Philadelphia's Independence National Historic Park is feeling the chill from President Donald Trump's federal hiring freeze.

Visitors to park will find closed doors at several attractions in the upcoming months. The reason, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, is the National Park Service being "severely understaffed" as a result of President Donald Trump's hiring freeze of federal employees.

The seven buildings affected are Franklin Printing Office, Declaration House, Fragment Museum, New Hall Military Museum, Todd House, Bishop White House and Thaddeus Kosciuszko House.

Bathrooms at Independence Square have also been closed. Those restrooms will be closed throughout the summer, meaning visitors will have to relieve themselves at the Independence Visitor Center a few blocks away.

Because of the understaffing, the National Park Service is unable to maintain those areas for visitors.

The federal hiring freeze went into effect at noon on Jan. 22 and will continue until the Director of the Office of Management and Budget releases a long-term plan to cut the size of the federal government workforce. That plan has to be delivered within 90 days of that Jan. 22 date.

Read the Presidential Memorandum Regarding the Hiring Freeze

Agencies are able to request exemptions to the freeze during that time. The National Park Service has already done so and been granted the ability to hire seasonal employees, according to Philly.com. But those seasonal employees may not end up in Philadelphia.

During the off-season, the park often limits hours of some of the less popular historic buildings or makes them available by appointment only. But the closures this time are unlike those in the past, according to David Fitzpatrick, the president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 2058.

"I've been here 17 years," he told Philly.com, "and I can't recall anything like this before."

Many of the attractions at Independence National Historic Park remain open, including Independence Hall, the Benjamin Franklin Museum and Carpenters' Hall.

The National Park Service celebrated its 100th birthday last year.

Want more Philadelphia stories? Click here for all our coverage of the City of Brotherly Love. You also may enjoy these videos from our Life and Culture Team: