Philadelphia City Hall

Related person

John McArthur (was created by)

Date

1871;1901

Location

North and Central America->United States->Pennsylvania->Philadelphia

Description

Philadelphia City Hall was originally named The New Public Building and designed by John J. McArthur, Jr. It is topped with a 37-foot statue of William Penn by Alexander Milne Calder. Urban designer Edmund Bacon was known to say that no gentleman would build taller than the brim of William Penn's hat. It was the tallest building in Philadelphia until 1987. At the time of its construction, it was one of the largest municipal buildings in the world and it is generally considered to be of the French Second Empire style. The building is arranged around a central public courtyard, accessed from the exterior through four monumental arched portals.

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