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Philadelphia circa 1905. "City Hall." And its clock-topping, 26-ton statue of William Penn. Composite of two 8x10 inch glass negatives. Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
Prior to 2007, there was an unofficial agreement that no building would be allowed to rise taller than the William Penn statue. After the Comcast Center was finished in 2008, it opened the floodgates and now, the downtown area is cluttered with towering, ugly skyscrapers. No longer can you see Penn from almost any road entering the city. Sad!
It was overcast in the afternoon. I couldn't go inside, but I did take these details of the city hall exterior, which was being cleaned from the clock tower down, roof, and bronze door. The details are impressive.
Now that’s how you do Second Empire.
How do you get a heavy guy like that way up there? Did they have a scaffolding around the tower? I'd like to see it under construction.
[His 14 sections were hoisted into place by derrick crane. - Dave]
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