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Philadelphia City Hall

April 15, 2023

Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the offices of the Mayor of Philadelphia.[6][7] It is also a courthouse, serving as the seat of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, and houses the Civil Trial and Orphans' Court Divisions of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.[8][9][10]

Philadelphia City Hall
North side of Philadelphia City Hall in July 2019
Record height
Tallest in the world from 1894 to 1908[I]
Surpassed bySinger Building
General information
StatusCompleted
Architectural styleSecond Empire
Location1 Penn Square
Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
Coordinates39°57′8.62″N 75°9′48.95″W / 39.9523944°N 75.1635972°W / 39.9523944; -75.1635972Coordinates: 39°57′8.62″N 75°9′48.95″W / 39.9523944°N 75.1635972°W / 39.9523944; -75.1635972
Topped-out1894[1]
occupied from 1877[1][2][3]
Completed1901[1]
Governing bodyJim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia (2016-present)
Height
Antenna spire548 ft (167 m)[1]
Technical details
Floor count9[4]
Floor area630,000 sq ft (59,000 m2)[5]
Design and construction
Architect(s)John McArthur Jr.
Thomas U. Walter
DesignatedDecember 16, 1976
Reference no.75001206
DesignatedDecember 8, 1976
Reference no.76001666

Built of brick, white marble, and limestone, Philadelphia City Hall is the world's largest free-standing masonry building and was the world's tallest habitable building upon its completion in 1894. In 1976, it was designated a National Historic Landmark, and in 2006, was also named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.[11]

History and description

 
Under construction, 1881
 
Philadelphia City Hall, c. 1899

The building was designed by Scottish-born architect John McArthur Jr. and Thomas Ustick Walter[12] in the Second Empire style, and was constructed from 1871 to 1901 at a cost of $24 million. City Hall's tower was completed by 1894,[1] although the interior was not finished until 1901. Designed to be the world's tallest building, it was surpassed during construction by the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower. Upon completion of its tower in 1894, it became the world's tallest habitable building.[2][3] It was also the first secular building to have this distinction, as all previous world's tallest buildings were religious structures, including European cathedrals and—for the previous 3,800 years—the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The location chosen was one of the five center city urban park squares dedicated by William Penn, that geometrically is the center to the other four squares within Center City renamed as Penn Square. City Hall is a masonry building whose weight is borne by granite and brick walls up to 22 ft (6.7 m) thick. The principal exterior materials are limestone, granite, and marble. The original design called for virtually no sculpture. The stonemason William Struthers and sculptor Alexander Milne Calder were responsible for the more than 250 sculptures, capturing artists, educators, and engineers who embodied American ideals and contributed to this country's genius.[13] The final construction cost was $24 million.[citation needed]

At 548 ft (167 m), including the statue of city founder William Penn atop its tower, City Hall was the tallest habitable building in the world from 1894 to 1908. It remained the tallest in Pennsylvania until it was surpassed in 1932 by the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh; it is now the 16th tallest. It was the tallest in Philadelphia until 1986 when the construction of One Liberty Place surpassed it,[14] ending the informal gentlemen's agreement that had limited the height of buildings in the city to no higher than the Penn statue.[15]

It was constructed over the time span from 1871 to 1901 and includes 700 rooms dedicated for uses of various governmental operations. The building structure used over 88 million bricks and thousands of tons of marble and granite.[16] With almost 700 rooms, City Hall is the largest municipal building in the United States and one of the largest in the world.[17] The building houses three branches of government: the city's executive branch (the Mayor's Office), its legislature (the Philadelphia City Council), and a substantial portion of the judicial activity in the city (the Civil Division and Orphan's Court of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for the First Judicial District are housed there, as well as chambers for some criminal judges and some judges of the Philadelphia Municipal Court).

It was the tallest clock tower in the world when it was completed; it was surpassed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower in 1912, and is currently the 5th tallest building of this type. The tower features a clock face on each side that is 26 ft (7.9 m) in diameter.[18][19] The clock faces are larger in diameter than those on Big Ben which measure 23 ft (7 m).[20] City Hall's clock was designed by Warren Johnson and built in 1898.[21] The 1937 Philadelphia Guide noted that "shortly after the clock was installed the city inaugurated a custom which still continues. Every evening at three minutes of nine the tower lights are turned off, and then turned on again on the hour. This enables those within observation distance, though unable to see the hands, to set their timepieces.[22] There are four bronze eagles, each weighing three tons with 12 ft (3.7 m) wingspans, perched above the tower's four clocks.[16]

City Hall's observation deck is located directly below the base of the statue, about 500 ft (150 m) above street level.[23] Once enclosed with chain-link fencing, the observation deck is now enclosed by glass. It is reached in a 6-person elevator whose glass panels allow visitors to see the interior of the iron superstructure that caps the tower and supports the statuary and clocks. Stairs within the tower are only used for emergency exit. The ornamentation of the tower has been simplified; the huge garlands that festooned the top panels of the tower were removed.

In the 1950s, the city council investigated tearing down City Hall for a new building elsewhere. They found that the demolition would have bankrupted the city due to the building's masonry construction.[citation needed]

Beginning in 1992, Philadelphia City Hall underwent a comprehensive exterior restoration, planned and supervised by the Historical Preservation Studio of Vitetta Architects & Engineers, headed by renowned historical preservation architect Hyman Myers.[24] The majority of the restoration was completed by 2007, although some work has continued, including the installation of four new ornamental courtyard gates, based on an original architectural sketch, in December 2015.[25][26][27]

The building was voted #21 on the American Institute of Architects' list of Americans' 150 favorite U.S. structures in 2007.[28]

William Penn statue

 
William Penn statue before its placement atop Philadelphia City Hall, 1897

The building is topped by a 37 ft (11 m) bronze statue weighing 53,348 lb (24,198 kg)[1] of city founder William Penn, one of 250 sculptures created by Alexander Milne Calder that adorn the building inside and out. The statue was cast at the Tacony Iron Works of Northeast Philadelphia and hoisted to the top of the tower in fourteen sections in 1894.[1] The statue is the tallest atop any building in the world.[1][29][30] Despite its lofty perch, the city has mandated that the statue be cleaned about every ten years to remove corrosion and reduce deterioration due to weathering, with the latest cleaning done in May 2017.[29] Penn's statue is hollow, and a narrow access tunnel through it leads to a 22-inch-diameter (56 cm) hatch atop the hat.[31]

Calder wished the statue to face south so that its face would be lit by the sun most of the day, the better to reveal the details of his work. The statue actually faces northeast, towards Penn Treaty Park in the Fishtown section of the city, which commemorates the site where Penn signed a treaty with the local Native American tribe.[32] Pennsbury Manor, Penn's country home in Bucks County, is also located to the northeast.

By the terms of a gentlemen's agreement that forbade any structure from rising above the hat on the Penn statue, Philadelphia City Hall remained the tallest building in the city until it was surpassed by One Liberty Place in 1986.[14][15] The abrogation of this agreement supposedly brought a curse onto local professional sports teams.[33] Twice during the 1990s, the statue was partially clothed in a major league sports team's uniform when they were in contention for a championship: a Phillies cap in 1993 and a Flyers jersey in 1997—both teams lost.[34] The supposed curse ended 22 years later when the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, a year and four months after a Penn statuette had been affixed to the final beam of the Comcast Center during its topping out ceremony in June 2007.[35] Another Penn statuette was placed on the topmost beam of the Comcast Technology Center in November 2017,[36] and the Eagles won the Super Bowl a few months later.[37]

Centre Square

City Hall is situated on land that was reserved as a public square upon the city's founding in 1682. Originally known as Centre Square—later renamed Penn Square[38]—it was used for public gatherings until the construction of City Hall began in 1871. Centre Square was one of the five original squares of Philadelphia laid out on the city grid by William Penn. The square had been located at the geographic center of Penn's city plan, but the Act of Consolidation in 1854 created the much larger and coterminous city and county of Philadelphia.[39] Though no longer at the exact center of the city, the square remains situated in the center of the historic area between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers; an area which is now called Center City.

Penn had intended that Centre Square be the central focus point where the major public buildings would be located, including those for government, religion, and education, as well as the central marketplace. However, the Delaware riverfront would remain the de facto economic and social heart of the city for more than a century.[40][41]

Film appearances

City Hall has been a filming location for several motion pictures including Rocky (1976), Blow Out (1981), Trading Places (1983), Philadelphia (1993), 12 Monkeys (1995), National Treasure (2004), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), and Limitless (2011).[42]

Gallery

  •  

    City Hall Dilworth Plaza (Christmas, 2005)

  •  

    The N. Broad St. arcade (2013)

  •  

    The north facade from Broad St. (2013)

  •  

    View of tower from courtyard (2013)

  •  

    William Penn statue

  •  

    Statue of President McKinley (2017)

  •  

    Octavius Catto memorial (2018)

See also

 
An admission ticket to the 1900 Republican National Convention featuring a sketch of Philadelphia City Hall

Note

I The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (an authority on the official height of tall buildings worldwide) provides the following criteria for defining the completion of a building: "topped out structurally and architecturally, fully-clad, and open for business, or at least partially occupiable."[43] Philadelphia City Hall was occupied by the mayor beginning in 1889[2] and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania beginning in 1891,[3] and the building was topped out in 1894.[1] City Hall was the tallest habitable building in the world until 1908 when surpassed by the Singer Building. City Hall was surpassed during its construction by the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower, and is slightly lower by about 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) than the Mole Antonelliana (completed in 1889);[44][45] however, none of those three structures are considered habitable buildings.

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form". () National Park Service. pp. 2, 10. Retrieved November 9, 2017. "The tower rising 548 feet, City Hall was the highest occupied building in America…Construction lasted for thirty years (1872-1901); the building was occupied in stages over a period of twenty-two years (1877-1898)…The statue was…hoisted to the top of the tower in fourteen sections in 1894."
  2. ^ a b c . (archive) Retrieved November 9, 2017. "1889: Mayor Fitler moves into completed offices on west side."
  3. ^ a b c . (archive) Retrieved November 9, 2017. "1891: State Supreme Court opens in permanent courtroom."
  4. ^ "City Hall virtual tour room directory" August 5, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. phila.gov. City of Philadelphia. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  5. ^ "Philadelphia City Hall". from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2016. Technical specs of City Hall
  6. ^ "Visit City Council". Philadelphia City Council. January 6, 2021. from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020. All Philadelphia City Council Stated Meetings and hearings take place in Council Chambers, located on the fourth floor of Philadelphia City Hall.
  7. ^ "Office of the Mayor". phila.gov. City of Philadelphia. from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  8. ^ "Homepage". Philadelphia Courts. from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "Court of Common Pleas, Trial Division - Civil". Philadelphia Courts. from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "The Court of Common Pleas, Orphans' Court Division". Philadelphia Courts. from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  11. ^ . ASCE Philadelphia Section. May 22, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
  12. ^ "National Register Digital Assets - Philadelphia City Hall" December 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. nps.gov. National Park Service. December 8, 1976. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  13. ^ Marin, Max (June 14, 2021). . Billy Penn. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Billy Penn no Longer the High Spot". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 11, 1986. pp. B01.
  15. ^ a b Gerber, Benjamin M. (2006). ""No-Law" Urban Height Restrictions: A Philadelphia Story". The Urban Lawyer. 38 (1): 111–161. ISSN 0042-0905. JSTOR 27895609.
  16. ^ a b . www.emporis.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  17. ^ . Emporis. 2011. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  18. ^ "City Hall Virtual Tour". phila.gov. City of Philadelphia. from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  19. ^ . Archived from the original on March 10, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2018. Note: click the 'Trivia & Fun Facts' link at left, then the 'Tower' link at top.
  20. ^ "Big Ben:The Clock Dials" May 21, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. parliament.uk. Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  21. ^ "The Clock Business 1903m - Construction begins on great floral clock for 1904 World’s Fair" March 10, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. wsjsociety.com. The Warren Johnson Society. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  22. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1937). Philadelphia: A Guide to the Nation's Birthplace. The American Guide Series. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Telegraph Press. p. 380.
  23. ^ "City Hall Virtual Tour". www.phila.gov. from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  24. ^ Fish, Larry (April 15, 1999). . philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network (Digital), LLC. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  25. ^ Adams, Jennifer (2012). . Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  26. ^ Marsh, Bill (July 25, 2006). "People Stop Fighting Philadelphia City Hall". www.nytimes.com. from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  27. ^ Harris, Linda K. (September 9, 2015). . centercityphila.org. Center City District | Central Philadelphia Development Corporation | Center City District Foundation. Archived from the original on February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  28. ^ Other Philadelphia buildings on the list included the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Fisher Fine Arts Library at the University of Pennsylvania, 30th Street Station, and Wanamaker's department store."America's Favorite Architecture" April 24, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. (February 9, 2005). American Institute of Architects. Retrieved April 23, 2014
  29. ^ a b Trinacria, Joe (May 17, 2017). "William Penn Is Getting a Facelift" (). phillymag.com. Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  30. ^ "William Penn Statue - A Bronze Sculpture, Over 37 Feet High and 53,000 Pounds". www.enjoyingphiladelphia.com. 2017. from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  31. ^ . (archive) Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  32. ^ Hornblum, Allen M. (2003). Philadelphia's City Hall. Arcadia Publishing. p. 63.
  33. ^ Destra, Brooke (May 13, 2020). "Look Back at the Curse of Billy Penn and When Part of Philly Sports Lore Began". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  34. ^ Witmer, Ann (April 26, 2013). "Philadelphia's City Hall Tower offers a stunning 500-foot view: Not far by car" December 8, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. pennlive.com. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  35. ^ Matza, Michael (October 22, 2008). . philly.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
  36. ^ Lattanzio, Vince (November 30, 2017). "The Comcast Technology Center Is Philly's Tallest Building and Yes, There's a Mini Billy Penn Up There". NBC10 Philadelphia. NBCUniversal Media, LLC. from the original on December 2, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  37. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (February 4, 2018). "Eagles QB Nick Foles wins Super Bowl LII MVP". National Football League. from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  38. ^ "Philadelphia City Hall location" November 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. philadelphiabuildings.org. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  39. ^ . fishtownonline. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.
  40. ^ Weigley, RF; et al. (1982). Philadelphia: A 300-Year History. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-01610-2. …hardly anyone lived west of Fourth Street before 1703 … Not until the mid-nineteenth century … was the Schuylkill waterfront fully developed. Nor was Centre Square restored as the heart of Philadelphia until the construction of City Hall began in 1871.
  41. ^ "Centre Square: The heart of Philadelphia" (). by John Kopp. May 8, 2017. phillyvoice.com. Philly Voice - WWB Holdings, LLC. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  42. ^ "Filmed in Philadelphia: 25 movies that give Philly locations a silver screen spotlight". www.pennlive.com. March 21, 2017. from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  43. ^ "CTBUH Height Criteria: Building Status - Complete" (). ctbuh.org. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  44. ^ "Mole Antonelliana" July 24, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. museocinema.it. Museo Nazionale del Cinema. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  45. ^ "Mole Antonelliana" June 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. emporis.com. Emporis Gmbh. Retrieved November 12, 2017.

Further reading

  • Gurney, George, Sculpture of a City—Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze and Stone, Fairmount Park Association, Walker Publishing Co., Inc., New York, NY, 1974.
  • Hayes, Margaret Calder, Three Alexander Calders: A Family Memoir by Margaret Calder Hayes, Paul S. Eriksson, publisher, Middlebury, Vermont, 1977.
  • Lewis, Michael J. "‘Silent, Weird, Beautiful’: Philadelphia City Hall," Nineteenth Century, vol. 11, nos. 3 and 4 (1992), pp. 13–21

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Philadelphia City Hall.
  • Official website
  • Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-1530, "Philadelphia City Hall", 58 photos, 23 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
  • HABS No. PA-6771, "Philadelphia City Hall", 1 photo, 4 color transparencies, 1 photo caption page
  • "Philadelphia City Hall". SkyscraperPage.
  • Official Hand Book, City Hall, Philadelphia – handbook by City Publishing Co. (1901)
  • Google Street View
Records
Preceded by Tallest building in the world
1894–1908
548 ft (167 m) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Tallest building in the United States
1894–1908
167 m 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Tallest building in the United States outside of New York City
1894–1924
167 m 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Tallest building in Pennsylvania
167 metres (548 ft)
1894–1932 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Tallest building in Philadelphia
167 metres (548 ft)
1894–1987 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Venues of the NFL Draft
2017 		Succeeded by

April 15, 2023
philadelphia, city, hall, this, article, contains, many, pictures, that, sandwiching, text, indiscriminate, collection, image, galleries, overall, length, relevant, discussion, found, talk, page, please, help, improve, this, article, removing, adjusting, image. This article contains too many pictures that are sandwiching text or an indiscriminate collection of Image galleries for its overall length Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help to improve this article by removing or adjusting images in accordance with the Manual of Style on use of images March 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia Built in the ornate Second Empire style City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the offices of the Mayor of Philadelphia 6 7 It is also a courthouse serving as the seat of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania and houses the Civil Trial and Orphans Court Divisions of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County 8 9 10 Philadelphia City HallNorth side of Philadelphia City Hall in July 2019Record heightTallest in the world from 1894 to 1908 I Surpassed bySinger BuildingGeneral informationStatusCompletedArchitectural styleSecond EmpireLocation1 Penn SquarePhiladelphia PA 19107 USACoordinates39 57 8 62 N 75 9 48 95 W 39 9523944 N 75 1635972 W 39 9523944 75 1635972 Coordinates 39 57 8 62 N 75 9 48 95 W 39 9523944 N 75 1635972 W 39 9523944 75 1635972Topped out1894 1 occupied from 1877 1 2 3 Completed1901 1 Governing bodyJim Kenney Mayor of Philadelphia 2016 present HeightAntenna spire548 ft 167 m 1 Technical detailsFloor count9 4 Floor area630 000 sq ft 59 000 m2 5 Design and constructionArchitect s John McArthur Jr Thomas U WalterU S National Historic LandmarkDesignatedDecember 16 1976Reference no 75001206U S National Register of Historic PlacesDesignatedDecember 8 1976Reference no 76001666Built of brick white marble and limestone Philadelphia City Hall is the world s largest free standing masonry building and was the world s tallest habitable building upon its completion in 1894 In 1976 it was designated a National Historic Landmark and in 2006 was also named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers 11 Contents 1 History and description 2 William Penn statue 3 Centre Square 4 Film appearances 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 Note 8 References 9 External linksHistory and description Edit Under construction 1881 Philadelphia City Hall c 1899 The building was designed by Scottish born architect John McArthur Jr and Thomas Ustick Walter 12 in the Second Empire style and was constructed from 1871 to 1901 at a cost of 24 million City Hall s tower was completed by 1894 1 although the interior was not finished until 1901 Designed to be the world s tallest building it was surpassed during construction by the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower Upon completion of its tower in 1894 it became the world s tallest habitable building 2 3 It was also the first secular building to have this distinction as all previous world s tallest buildings were religious structures including European cathedrals and for the previous 3 800 years the Great Pyramid of Giza The location chosen was one of the five center city urban park squares dedicated by William Penn that geometrically is the center to the other four squares within Center City renamed as Penn Square City Hall is a masonry building whose weight is borne by granite and brick walls up to 22 ft 6 7 m thick The principal exterior materials are limestone granite and marble The original design called for virtually no sculpture The stonemason William Struthers and sculptor Alexander Milne Calder were responsible for the more than 250 sculptures capturing artists educators and engineers who embodied American ideals and contributed to this country s genius 13 The final construction cost was 24 million citation needed At 548 ft 167 m including the statue of city founder William Penn atop its tower City Hall was the tallest habitable building in the world from 1894 to 1908 It remained the tallest in Pennsylvania until it was surpassed in 1932 by the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh it is now the 16th tallest It was the tallest in Philadelphia until 1986 when the construction of One Liberty Place surpassed it 14 ending the informal gentlemen s agreement that had limited the height of buildings in the city to no higher than the Penn statue 15 It was constructed over the time span from 1871 to 1901 and includes 700 rooms dedicated for uses of various governmental operations The building structure used over 88 million bricks and thousands of tons of marble and granite 16 With almost 700 rooms City Hall is the largest municipal building in the United States and one of the largest in the world 17 The building houses three branches of government the city s executive branch the Mayor s Office its legislature the Philadelphia City Council and a substantial portion of the judicial activity in the city the Civil Division and Orphan s Court of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for the First Judicial District are housed there as well as chambers for some criminal judges and some judges of the Philadelphia Municipal Court It was the tallest clock tower in the world when it was completed it was surpassed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower in 1912 and is currently the 5th tallest building of this type The tower features a clock face on each side that is 26 ft 7 9 m in diameter 18 19 The clock faces are larger in diameter than those on Big Ben which measure 23 ft 7 m 20 City Hall s clock was designed by Warren Johnson and built in 1898 21 The 1937 Philadelphia Guide noted that shortly after the clock was installed the city inaugurated a custom which still continues Every evening at three minutes of nine the tower lights are turned off and then turned on again on the hour This enables those within observation distance though unable to see the hands to set their timepieces 22 There are four bronze eagles each weighing three tons with 12 ft 3 7 m wingspans perched above the tower s four clocks 16 City Hall s observation deck is located directly below the base of the statue about 500 ft 150 m above street level 23 Once enclosed with chain link fencing the observation deck is now enclosed by glass It is reached in a 6 person elevator whose glass panels allow visitors to see the interior of the iron superstructure that caps the tower and supports the statuary and clocks Stairs within the tower are only used for emergency exit The ornamentation of the tower has been simplified the huge garlands that festooned the top panels of the tower were removed In the 1950s the city council investigated tearing down City Hall for a new building elsewhere They found that the demolition would have bankrupted the city due to the building s masonry construction citation needed Beginning in 1992 Philadelphia City Hall underwent a comprehensive exterior restoration planned and supervised by the Historical Preservation Studio of Vitetta Architects amp Engineers headed by renowned historical preservation architect Hyman Myers 24 The majority of the restoration was completed by 2007 although some work has continued including the installation of four new ornamental courtyard gates based on an original architectural sketch in December 2015 25 26 27 The building was voted 21 on the American Institute of Architects list of Americans 150 favorite U S structures in 2007 28 William Penn statue Edit William Penn statue before its placement atop Philadelphia City Hall 1897 The building is topped by a 37 ft 11 m bronze statue weighing 53 348 lb 24 198 kg 1 of city founder William Penn one of 250 sculptures created by Alexander Milne Calder that adorn the building inside and out The statue was cast at the Tacony Iron Works of Northeast Philadelphia and hoisted to the top of the tower in fourteen sections in 1894 1 The statue is the tallest atop any building in the world 1 29 30 Despite its lofty perch the city has mandated that the statue be cleaned about every ten years to remove corrosion and reduce deterioration due to weathering with the latest cleaning done in May 2017 29 Penn s statue is hollow and a narrow access tunnel through it leads to a 22 inch diameter 56 cm hatch atop the hat 31 Calder wished the statue to face south so that its face would be lit by the sun most of the day the better to reveal the details of his work The statue actually faces northeast towards Penn Treaty Park in the Fishtown section of the city which commemorates the site where Penn signed a treaty with the local Native American tribe 32 Pennsbury Manor Penn s country home in Bucks County is also located to the northeast By the terms of a gentlemen s agreement that forbade any structure from rising above the hat on the Penn statue Philadelphia City Hall remained the tallest building in the city until it was surpassed by One Liberty Place in 1986 14 15 The abrogation of this agreement supposedly brought a curse onto local professional sports teams 33 Twice during the 1990s the statue was partially clothed in a major league sports team s uniform when they were in contention for a championship a Phillies cap in 1993 and a Flyers jersey in 1997 both teams lost 34 The supposed curse ended 22 years later when the Phillies won the 2008 World Series a year and four months after a Penn statuette had been affixed to the final beam of the Comcast Center during its topping out ceremony in June 2007 35 Another Penn statuette was placed on the topmost beam of the Comcast Technology Center in November 2017 36 and the Eagles won the Super Bowl a few months later 37 Centre Square EditCity Hall is situated on land that was reserved as a public square upon the city s founding in 1682 Originally known as Centre Square later renamed Penn Square 38 it was used for public gatherings until the construction of City Hall began in 1871 Centre Square was one of the five original squares of Philadelphia laid out on the city grid by William Penn The square had been located at the geographic center of Penn s city plan but the Act of Consolidation in 1854 created the much larger and coterminous city and county of Philadelphia 39 Though no longer at the exact center of the city the square remains situated in the center of the historic area between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers an area which is now called Center City Penn had intended that Centre Square be the central focus point where the major public buildings would be located including those for government religion and education as well as the central marketplace However the Delaware riverfront would remain the de facto economic and social heart of the city for more than a century 40 41 Film appearances EditCity Hall has been a filming location for several motion pictures including Rocky 1976 Blow Out 1981 Trading Places 1983 Philadelphia 1993 12 Monkeys 1995 National Treasure 2004 Transformers Revenge of the Fallen 2009 and Limitless 2011 42 Gallery Edit City Hall Dilworth Plaza Christmas 2005 The N Broad St arcade 2013 The north facade from Broad St 2013 View of tower from courtyard 2013 William Penn statue Statue of President McKinley 2017 Octavius Catto memorial 2018 See also Edit An admission ticket to the 1900 Republican National Convention featuring a sketch of Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia portal List of tallest structures built before the 20th century List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia List of tallest buildings in Pennsylvania List of tallest clock towers Parliament Building Quebec City built at approximately the same time in the same style National Register of Historic Places listings in Center City Philadelphia List of state and county courthouses in PennsylvaniaNote EditI The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat an authority on the official height of tall buildings worldwide provides the following criteria for defining the completion of a building topped out structurally and architecturally fully clad and open for business or at least partially occupiable 43 Philadelphia City Hall was occupied by the mayor beginning in 1889 2 and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania beginning in 1891 3 and the building was topped out in 1894 1 City Hall was the tallest habitable building in the world until 1908 when surpassed by the Singer Building City Hall was surpassed during its construction by the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower and is slightly lower by about 0 5 m 1 ft 8 in than the Mole Antonelliana completed in 1889 44 45 however none of those three structures are considered habitable buildings References EditNotes a b c d e f g h i National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form archive National Park Service pp 2 10 Retrieved November 9 2017 The tower rising 548 feet City Hall was the highest occupied building in America Construction lasted for thirty years 1872 1901 the building was occupied in stages over a period of twenty two years 1877 1898 The statue was hoisted to the top of the tower in fourteen sections in 1894 a b c History of City Hall 1886 1890 archive Retrieved November 9 2017 1889 Mayor Fitler moves into completed offices on west side a b c History of City Hall 1891 1901 archive Retrieved November 9 2017 1891 State Supreme Court opens in permanent courtroom City Hall virtual tour room directory Archived August 5 2018 at the Wayback Machine phila gov City of Philadelphia Retrieved December 2 2018 Philadelphia City Hall Archived from the original on January 6 2009 Retrieved November 12 2016 Technical specs of City Hall Visit City Council Philadelphia City Council January 6 2021 Archived from the original on May 1 2020 Retrieved April 29 2020 All Philadelphia City Council Stated Meetings and hearings take place in Council Chambers located on the fourth floor of Philadelphia City Hall Office of the Mayor phila gov City of Philadelphia Archived from the original on May 2 2020 Retrieved April 29 2020 Homepage Philadelphia Courts Archived from the original on April 20 2020 Retrieved April 29 2020 Court of Common Pleas Trial Division Civil Philadelphia Courts Archived from the original on April 20 2020 Retrieved April 29 2020 The Court of Common Pleas Orphans Court Division Philadelphia Courts Archived from the original on April 20 2020 Retrieved April 29 2020 Philadelphia City Hall Named as Historic Landmark ASCE Philadelphia Section May 22 2006 Archived from the original on September 27 2007 Retrieved April 3 2007 National Register Digital Assets Philadelphia City Hall Archived December 7 2017 at the Wayback Machine nps gov National Park Service December 8 1976 Retrieved March 9 2018 Marin Max June 14 2021 Nothing left uncarved A guide to the 250 sculptures on Philadelphia City Hall Billy Penn Archived from the original on May 7 2022 Retrieved October 4 2022 a b Billy Penn no Longer the High Spot The Philadelphia Inquirer September 11 1986 pp B01 a b Gerber Benjamin M 2006 No Law Urban Height Restrictions A Philadelphia Story The Urban Lawyer 38 1 111 161 ISSN 0042 0905 JSTOR 27895609 a b Philadelphia City Hall www emporis com Archived from the original on November 7 2017 Retrieved October 30 2017 Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia Emporis 2011 Archived from the original on September 29 2007 Retrieved March 3 2011 City Hall Virtual Tour phila gov City of Philadelphia Archived from the original on May 30 2018 Retrieved May 21 2018 City Hall Trivia amp Fun Facts The Tower The Clock four faces Archived from the original on March 10 2010 Retrieved May 21 2018 Note click the Trivia amp Fun Facts link at left then the Tower link at top Big Ben The Clock Dials Archived May 21 2018 at the Wayback Machine parliament uk Parliament of the United Kingdom Retrieved May 21 2018 The Clock Business 1903m Construction begins on great floral clock for 1904 World s Fair Archived March 10 2018 at the Wayback Machine wsjsociety com The Warren Johnson Society Retrieved March 9 2018 Federal Writers Project 1937 Philadelphia A Guide to the Nation s Birthplace The American Guide Series Harrisburg Pennsylvania The Telegraph Press p 380 City Hall Virtual Tour www phila gov Archived from the original on September 1 2022 Retrieved October 5 2022 Fish Larry April 15 1999 City Hall Sets Up Eight year Plan To Clean Up Its Act 130 Million Project To Restore Building s Luster philly com Philadelphia Media Network Digital LLC Archived from the original on March 11 2016 Retrieved February 17 2016 Adams Jennifer 2012 Reviving A National Landmark Archived from the original on February 24 2016 Retrieved February 17 2016 Marsh Bill July 25 2006 People Stop Fighting Philadelphia City Hall www nytimes com Archived from the original on November 10 2017 Retrieved February 17 2016 Harris Linda K September 9 2015 First of Four Monumental Portal Gates Installed at City Hall centercityphila org Center City District Central Philadelphia Development Corporation Center City District Foundation Archived from the original on February 11 2016 Retrieved February 17 2016 Other Philadelphia buildings on the list included the Philadelphia Museum of Art the Fisher Fine Arts Library at the University of Pennsylvania 30th Street Station and Wanamaker s department store America s Favorite Architecture Archived April 24 2014 at the Wayback Machine February 9 2005 American Institute of Architects Retrieved April 23 2014 a b Trinacria Joe May 17 2017 William Penn Is Getting a Facelift archive phillymag com Philadelphia Magazine Retrieved November 13 2017 William Penn Statue A Bronze Sculpture Over 37 Feet High and 53 000 Pounds www enjoyingphiladelphia com 2017 Archived from the original on November 7 2017 Retrieved October 30 2017 William Penn Statue archive Retrieved November 13 2017 Hornblum Allen M 2003 Philadelphia s City Hall Arcadia Publishing p 63 Destra Brooke May 13 2020 Look Back at the Curse of Billy Penn and When Part of Philly Sports Lore Began NBC10 Philadelphia Retrieved October 5 2022 Witmer Ann April 26 2013 Philadelphia s City Hall Tower offers a stunning 500 foot view Not far by car Archived December 8 2017 at the Wayback Machine pennlive com Retrieved December 8 2017 Matza Michael October 22 2008 Lifting the curse of William Penn philly com Archived from the original on December 3 2008 Retrieved January 14 2009 Lattanzio Vince November 30 2017 The Comcast Technology Center Is Philly s Tallest Building and Yes There s a Mini Billy Penn Up There NBC10 Philadelphia NBCUniversal Media LLC Archived from the original on December 2 2017 Retrieved December 2 2017 Bergman Jeremy February 4 2018 Eagles QB Nick Foles wins Super Bowl LII MVP National Football League Archived from the original on February 5 2018 Retrieved February 4 2018 Philadelphia City Hall location Archived November 11 2017 at the Wayback Machine philadelphiabuildings org The Athenaeum of Philadelphia Retrieved November 29 2017 Philadelphia Parks William Penn Historic Philadelphia Squares Oases fishtownonline Archived from the original on December 22 2015 Weigley RF et al 1982 Philadelphia A 300 Year History New York and London W W Norton amp Company ISBN 0 393 01610 2 hardly anyone lived west of Fourth Street before 1703 Not until the mid nineteenth century was the Schuylkill waterfront fully developed Nor was Centre Square restored as the heart of Philadelphia until the construction of City Hall began in 1871 Centre Square The heart of Philadelphia archive by John Kopp May 8 2017 phillyvoice com Philly Voice WWB Holdings LLC Retrieved November 13 2017 Filmed in Philadelphia 25 movies that give Philly locations a silver screen spotlight www pennlive com March 21 2017 Archived from the original on November 12 2017 Retrieved November 11 2017 CTBUH Height Criteria Building Status Complete archive org ctbuh org Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Retrieved November 27 2018 Mole Antonelliana Archived July 24 2017 at the Wayback Machine museocinema it Museo Nazionale del Cinema Retrieved November 12 2017 Mole Antonelliana Archived June 12 2018 at the Wayback Machine emporis com Emporis Gmbh Retrieved November 12 2017 Further reading Gurney George Sculpture of a City Philadelphia s Treasures in Bronze and Stone Fairmount Park Association Walker Publishing Co Inc New York NY 1974 Hayes Margaret Calder Three Alexander Calders A Family Memoir by Margaret Calder Hayes Paul S Eriksson publisher Middlebury Vermont 1977 Lewis Michael J Silent Weird Beautiful Philadelphia City Hall Nineteenth Century vol 11 nos 3 and 4 1992 pp 13 21External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Philadelphia City Hall Official website Historic American Buildings Survey HABS No PA 1530 Philadelphia City Hall 58 photos 23 data pages 3 photo caption pages HABS No PA 6771 Philadelphia City Hall 1 photo 4 color transparencies 1 photo caption page Philadelphia City Hall SkyscraperPage Official Hand Book City Hall Philadelphia handbook by City Publishing Co 1901 Google Street ViewRecordsPreceded byNew York World Building Tallest building in the world1894 1908548 ft 167 m Succeeded bySinger BuildingPreceded byNew York World Building Tallest building in the United States1894 1908167 m Succeeded bySinger BuildingPreceded byChicago Board of Trade Building 1885 Tallest building in the United States outside of New York City1894 1924167 m Succeeded byChicago Temple BuildingPreceded byTenth Presbyterian Church Tallest building in Pennsylvania167 metres 548 ft 1894 1932 Succeeded byGulf TowerPreceded byTenth Presbyterian Church Tallest building in Philadelphia167 metres 548 ft 1894 1987 Succeeded byOne Liberty PlacePreceded byAuditorium Theatre2015 and 2016 Venues of the NFL Draft2017 Succeeded byAT amp T Stadium2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Philadelphia City Hall amp oldid 1146602671, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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