City Hall Philadelphia
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
City Hall Philadelphia
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Philadelphia City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
City Hall was constructed on one of the five urban park squares in the city center designated by William Penn. This square is at the center of the other four squares in Center City and has been renamed Penn Square.
The Second Empire-style building, made of brick, white marble, and limestone, was intended to be the tallest in the world. However, it was outdone by both the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower during its construction. Although the interior was not completed until 1901, the exterior was finished in 1894 and held the title of the world's tallest inhabitable building until 1908. This was a unique distinction for a secular building since all the previous world's tallest buildings were religious. The tower stands at 548 feet and features a statue of city founder William Penn at its peak. City Hall retained the title of Philadelphia's tallest building until 1986. However, One Liberty Place exceeded its height, which went against an unwritten gentleman's agreement to keep new construction shorter than the William Penn statue.
The Philadelphia City Hall is a multi-purpose building that accommodates the Philadelphia City Council chambers and the Mayor of Philadelphia's offices. It serves as a courthouse, acting as the headquarters of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania and holding the Civil Trial and Orphans' Court Divisions of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.
Its historical significance was recognized by its designation as National Historic Landmark in 1976 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2006.
Copyright 2023 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
June 15th, 2023
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