urban archives
The statue of William Penn is an iconic
symbol to the people of the city of Philadelphia. It has been that way since
its beginning in the courtyard at City Hall in 1893. The sculpture was designed
by Alexander Milne Calder who also had designed most of the other sculptures on
City Hall. The 37-foot statue was designed in honor of the great founder of
Pennsylvania and planner of Philadelphia. The statue was placed atop of city
hall in 1894 and no building was built higher than the brim of Penn’s hat until
1987 when One Liberty Place was built three blocks away. The erection of the
first skyscraper in Philadelphia ended an informal gentlemen’s agreement which
limited the height of buildings in the city for many years. The bronze statue
was never individually criticized, but the building it stood atop was. The city
discussed demolishing city hall in the 1950s because of its old and outdated
look. It was then realized that it would cost the city too much money since
they would have to take the building apart by sections. Controversy struck way
before then when Calder wanted the 27-ton piece to face the south once placed
atop city hall. Unfortunately for Calder, the city demanded the statue face
northeast, which ultimately angers him.
urban archives
From my personal experience with non-Philadelphians, I feel that people know who William Penn was but the statue
atop city hall is not easily recognizable. The statue is depicted many times in
the film Law Abiding Citizen by Gary
Gray. He seems to use city hall as a symbol of justice in the film which most
people do not understand. Outsiders watching the film do not get a clear idea
of what city hall and the sculpture resembles. The people of Philadelphia view
this piece as a symbol of the city and the skyline. Most know him as “Billy Penn” and
almost all know of a certain curse that people claim he had put on the city.
Once the “gentlemen’s agreement” was broken in the 1980’s the four major sports
teams in the city were unable to win a championship. The last team to win a
title was the 1983 76ers and it took 25 years until the Phillies won the World
Series in 2008. The curse was believed to be alive and well since Penn was no
longer the highest in the city after 1986. The 25-year drought had many people
believe in the curse. The year the Phillies won (2008), a smaller version of
the statue was placed atop the Comcast building which is the tallest in the
city today. The city even placed a Flyers jersey on the statue during the 1997
Stanley Cup finals only to fail as they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.
I would destroy this piece unless the city would decide to move the statue to reclaim
it as the highest point in the city of brotherly love. Although the sculpture
is a popular piece of art in Philadelphia, I would also destroy this piece because
of the manner in which the city took in disobeying Calder’s request for the
direction the statue would face. The city broke two informal requests against a
piece of art that represents a lot to Philadelphians. Most are aware of the
curse of Billy Penn but many are not aware of Calder’s request that was
ultimately ignored by the city. I think if more people knew about the denial of
his own piece of art they would give solace to him. If I were to make something
to be extremely proud of and someone went against my requests I would
definitely feel insulted. Calder did not attend the raising of the statue in
1894 which shows how angry and upset he really was and I feel sorry for him
along with the people responsible for ignoring his inquiry. My message would by
symbolic for Philadelphia sports fans and for Calder.
urban archives
William Penn is a big
part of the development of such an iconic city for the United States of America.
The statue is known as the largest to be on top of any building in the world. Residents
of the Delaware Valley would love to see the piece overlook the entire city
from atop the Comcast building or another skyscraper that may be built in the
future. Having the sculpture face to the south would also be symbolic for
Calder’s legacy. We would not have to worry about any sports curse whether it
is in the hands of William Penn or Alexander Milne Calder. As a result of the
city’s lack of respect for two Philadelphia innovators, I believe in the curse
that may live on until the city shows their full gratitude.
