William Penn (Calder)
William Penn is a bronze statue of William Penn, the founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, by Alexander Milne Calder.
It is located atop the Philadelphia City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was installed in 1894. It was cast in fourteen sections, and took almost two years to finish.
For almost 90 years, an unwritten gentlemen's agreement forbade any building in the city from rising above the hat on the Penn statue. This agreement ended in 1985, when final approval was given to the Liberty Place complex. Its centerpieces are two skyscrapers, One Liberty Place and Two Liberty Place, which rose well above the height of Penn's hat.
A copy of the statue stands at Welcome Park. In 2024, the National Park Service proposed renovation of the park, which would include removal of the statue there.
Gallery
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1894 - The statue, ready for liftup -
Tacony Iron Works employee, 18-year-old Frederik Ullberg with the head of Alexander Milne Calder's statue of William Penn. -
Left side view of the William Penn statue
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See also
References
- ^ "William Penn, (sculpture)". Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
- ^ "Historic Philadelphia Tour: Welcome Park". www.ushistory.org. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ^ Kummer, Frank (2024-01-08). "William Penn statue may be permanently removed from Welcome Park, angering some". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
External links
- William Penn at Philadelphia Public Art