City Hall, Philadelphia

A skyline of modern skyscrapers circle around this spectacular architectural gem. The largest city hall in America, Philadelphia's French Revival City Hall is a wonder. The inside is amazing as well and they offer free tours every day at 12:30pm. At the end of the tour, they take you up to the top and you get a great view of the city as well as a sight of the gigantic William Penn statue perched on top. It is also a great way to get acquainted with the interesting history of Philadelphia.

When William Penn planned Philadelphia, it was his intention to have a central square, Penn Square is where City Hall stands today. It rises 510 feet high and its clock tower is topped by the figure of William Penn. When driving throughout Philadelphia, William Penn, a tall gent 37 feet high, looks benignly down upon your travels and welcomes you to his city.

City Hall is an example of French Second-Empire Architecture. It was the most expensive municipal building to erect, taking thirty years to complete due to many delays. It is the nation's largest municipal building! The entrance in the photograph is the West Portal--the smallest and simplest of the entrances.

City Hall is open Mon.-Fri. from 9:30 am-4:30 pm with tours occuring every 15 minutes. There is no charge for the tour.

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The construction of the massive Philadelphia City Hall began in 1871, with plans to make it the tallest building in the world. By the time it was finished in 1901, the 548-foot (167-meter) tall building had already been surpassed in height by both the Eiffel Tower and the Washington Monument. On the top of this giant building is a large statue of William Penn (Billy Penn), the founder of the city. Until 1987, the City Hall remained Philadelphia’s tallest building; however, One Liberty Place was built, breaking the gentleman’s agreement that no buildings in Philadelphia would be built taller than the top of Billy Penn’s hat. Tours of the building are offered once a day from Monday-Friday, but I unluckily visited on a Saturday, when it was not possible to enter. On weekdays, you can also ascend to an observation deck at the top of the tower.

There was a time, not that long ago, when no building could be taller than the hat on the William Penn statue atop City Hall. This is no longer the case as skyscrapers dot the Philly skyline, but City Hall is still an impressive structure. It ancors Broad Street, the city's main artery, the Avenue of the Arts. The Parkway radiates from City Hall, ending at the Art Museum

The observation deck at the top offers an impressive view of the city. The bronze statue of William Penn on the top is by Alexander Milne Calder, the grandfather of the 20th century Calder of mobile fame. When Philly sports teams do well, an increasingly rare occurance, it's customary to "dress" the statue in a sports jersey.

If you walk north, right on the sidewalk you can see William Penn's "Prayer for Philadelphia."

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Philadelphia's City Hall is the largest municipal building in the country. It is also one of a handful of buildings built in the Second-Empire style in this country. The two other notable buildings in this style are Baltimore's City Hall, and the Old Executive Office Building in Washington D.C.

You can see the spire of the building, with a statue of William Penn, throughout most of the city, but many of the views are now blocked by the new office towers. City Hall was the tallest building in the city until the mid-80s, when Liberty Place became the first building to be built higher than the William Penn statue. This was the result of a "gentleman's agreement" for years in which developers agreed not to exceed the height of Penn's statue. Liberty tower 1 is now the tallest structure in the city.

City Hall is placed at the congruence of Market and Broad streets. It sits on a massive plaza that allows one to easily walk around the building. There is also a courtyard in the middle of the building through which pedestrians can walk. It is easy to walk around the building and a quick stroll may be interesting to those who like the architecture. It is also possible to take an elevator to an observation deck on the top of the William Penn statue, providing excellent views over the entire city.

While in Philadelphia, why don't you stop for a visit to City Hall. Often overlooked, City Hall is the largest municipal building in the United States. The building contains over 14.5 acres of floor space. On top of City Hall sits a 27-ton statue of William Penn atop the clock tower. Until 1987, there was a city law that no buildings could be higher than the top of the William Penn statue, but that has passed as many buildings now reach higher into the sky.

There are tours that will take you throughout the building but my advice is to pass on the tour and instead take a FREE walk up the stairs to the observation deck which provides a panoramic view of the city.

As for the picture you see, this is City Hall during the Christmas Holiday season. 2005 marks a new beginning for City Hall as for the first time, instead of the traditional lights, City Hall is illuminated in amzaing colors from projected imagery. Casa Magica for Artlumiere of Paris, France has created this amazing site that makes it appear that City Hall has undergone a new paint job.

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Lets talk about city hall. A number of plans were conceived over the years to demolish the huge building, but they all failed. The building covers 4½ acres of ground. For now, the building is safe. It's a historic landmark. Money held up the construction of the hall, they kept running out. It took so long that technology changed. The building had to be retrofitted in the middle replacing gas lamps with electric lamps. Now that it's finished simply walking up or down one of the six-story spiral staircases is a treat. The granite steps are cantilevered from the wall so they appear to float in air. Huge chandeliers illuminate mosaic floors, intricately decorated ceilings, sculptures, & artwork. Pennsylvania's founder, William Penn, has a bronze statue on top of the building. It faces northeast. The fingers are 30 inches long, nose 18 inches & hat 23 feet around. It is an enormous statue created at a time when the city and the country were entering an era of prosperity when bigger was better.

The clocks on Philadelphia City Hall are actually larger than those on Parliament Tower (Big Ben) in London.
The clock faces are 26 feet in diameter.
The minute hands are 15 feet long.
The hour hand 12½ feet long.
For an unknown reason, the south stairwell does not have entries onto each floor.
In the 1960's and 1970's there was a group of women known as the "City Hall Bunnies." Their job was to escort distinguished visitors around the building.
1871 - Ground breaking
1874 - Cornerstone is laid.
1894 - William Penn statue is placed on top of the building.
1899 - The clock starts.
2000 - An eight-year $347,000,000.00 renovation project is started. Years of neglect have led to leaking roofs, missing doors, rusting details, linoleum floors, and worse. Some corners are stained with urine, and homeless people occasionally use the rest rooms to bathe.

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It took me a while to realize after having lived here for years that you can actually do a (free... what used to be free adn i am sure still is) tour of city hall that is actually QUITE interesting -- I've done it several times now with all my friends who have come to visit me from abroad... you take the elevator up the tower - which mind you, is by far, NOT the tallest building, but its really preety and the view is great - especially on a clear day. then they take you around city hall and tell you a little history adn neat facts (stuff i never knew!) and even outside the hall - there's 4 sides to the building and each one represents a different season of the year! ... its really quit e interesting...