PHILADELPHIA'S CITY HALL

 

 

If there is one thing I enjoy on a nice summer walk about, it's some nice architecture. And on Saturday after the organ concert we headed to City Hall, because I wanted to take some picture of one of our most proud buildings here.It's always been a favorite of mine, not only because of it's beauty, but  also it's a place to see and be seen,  with passer bys sitting at the various bistro tables, kids frolicking in the new fountains, people hot man watching and one can generally find a few talented street musicians sharing their talent. I can and have spent hours there, just reading and have a cold drink. I do believe I took well over 100 pictures this day. With the  help of my ever faithful hunky friend Preston, we are going to  select some of them , which he will then blow up in black and white for me for framing, to add to my wall of favorite structures I already have.

 

 

The building was designed by Scottish-born architect John McArthur J in the Second Empire style, and was constructed from 1871 until 1901 at a cost of $24 million, a huge amount in that time. City Hall was topped off in 1894; as a result even though the interior wasn't finished until 1901 the building was the world's tallest starting in 1894. Designed to be the world's tallest building, it was surpassed during construction by the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower, though it was at completion the world's tallest habitable building. It was the first modern building to be the world's tallest and also was the first secular habitable building to have this record: all previous world's tallest buildings were religious structures, including European cathedrals. With almost 700 rooms, City Hall is one of the largest municipal buildings in the United States and one of the largest in the world. The building is topped by an 37 ft, 27-ton bronze statue of city founder William Penn, one of 250 sculptures created by Alexander Milne Calder that adorn the building inside and out. The statue is the tallest atop any building in the world.

 

 

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 William Penn signed a treaty with the local Native American tribe.

 

Cast in the fashionable French Second Empire style—the same style simultaneously embraced for the structure later known as the Old Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.—City Hall mixed thick masonry construction, up to 22 feet in some places, with elaborate ornamentation inside and out. Intended to be the highest building in the world, with its bell tower topping at 548 feet. I have to say, when you stand right up at this building, boy do you feel small. You can really get a feel just how massive this building is.

 

 

This cool bison head relief in one of the hall leading to the courtyard...pretty cool.....

 

The base of the huge tower, where the clock and William Penn sit.....

 

 City Hall began upon the site in 1871. It was one of the five original squares laid out on the city grid by Penn. It lay at the geographic heart of the city. City Hall is built on the area designated by William Penn as Centre Square. It was a public square from the city's founding in 1682, and as one can see, now with modern new fountain works installed, it's still a fun and social gathering place.....

 

 

We even enjoyed the music styling's of this street flutiest in the courtyard for almost an hour......

 

Another thing I love on the building and this one peculiarly has many of is..... columns!!!!!

 

 

And no matter where you are or stand, I don't think there is a bad view of this magnificent jewel that is in out fine city.

 

Even at night......

 

I must now start making rounds to y'all. I have been tied up with my visiting good friends from Atlanta...  Clara Voyant and  Southern Charm. I feel so behind.......Tootles!