Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net

Content: Rope, String, Thread, Wire and Yarn

Weaver's Knot: Sheet Bend
Ball-Nogues Studio, 2022
* big abstract knot
* East side of Columbus, South of Race.
* 39.953050,-75.139750 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* See also:
+streetsdept.com article about this piece
+ball-nogues.com

Golden Fleece Logo
* small sheep, ribbon, Brooks Brothers Logo
* There used to be a Brooks Brothers at this location
* inscription: Established 1818
* East Entrance. West side of 15th between Chestnut and Sansom.
* 39.950775,-75.165700 [map] [nearby]
* On the Avenue of the Arts tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified Artists
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org entry for the building
+wikipedia.org's Brooks Brothers page

Barry Memorial
1913
* Memorial to John Barry
* anchor, rope, plants, cross
* inscription:
In memory of John Barry, father of the American Navy, born in Co. Wexford, Ireland, March 25, 1745.
First captain of the first ship owned by the Continental Congress. Continuous in his service during the entire period of the revolution. Supreme Commander of the entire naval forces of the colonies in the war for independence. Appointed by President Washington to the highest rank and first command of the navy of the United States. He died in Philadelphia September 3, 1803, and is buried in the adjoining churchyard. Requiscat in pace.
* On the wall. Old St. Mary's. West side of 4th Street South of Locust.
* 39.945700,-75.148325 [map] [nearby]
* On the Society Hill tour
* Exhibits: Religious, Unidentified Artists, War
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's John Barry page
+oldstmary.com
+wikipedia.org's St. Mary's page

The Tuttleman Center
2001
* partial people, seated people, ball of yarn, cat, cell phone and calculator, cooking utensils, movie equipment, chinese characters, flower, food, masks, musical instruments, pencil and paper, sand, shells, sports equipment, water
* This is only a representative sampling of the art.
* North wall. Southwest from School House Lane and Henry Ave..
* 40.019400,-75.192375 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson East Falls Campus tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified Artists

Philadelphia Beirut Memorial
Doug Corsini, 1985
* Memorial to Cpl. Moses Arnold, Jr., Sgt. John J. Bonk, Jr., Cpl. Thomas A. Hairston, Sgt. Gilbert Hanton, Cpl. John F. Muffler, Sgt. Rafael Pomales-Torres, Pfc. Rui Manuel A. Relvas, Cpl. Louis J. Rotondo and Sgt. Allen D. Wesley
* 3D USMC logo, eagle, globe, anchor, rope
* Was at Penn's Landing on the North side of the Seaport Museum. Moved prior to 2010. The last picture is from the original location.
* inscription:
In Memoriam to the Philadelphia Marine Casualties of the Beirut Peace Keeping Mission.
If you forget my death then I died in vain.
October 23, 1983, 241 servicemen killed in the Beirut Terrorist Bombing.
Dedicated October 20, 1985
* East end of Foglietta Plaza. South side of Dock, East of Front.
* 39.944885,-75.142660 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* Exhibits: Moved, War
* See also:
+beirutveterans.org's page for this piece
+findagrave.com's Moses Arnold, Jr. page
+bensalemowls.org John J. Bonk, Jr. memorial page
+Thomas A.Hairston obituary on newspapers.com
+findagrave.com's Gilbert Hanton page
+buckscountycouriertimes.com memory of John Muffler from 2012
+uswarmemorials.org's Rafael Pomales-Torres page
+whyy.org article focusing on Rui Manuel A. Relvas
+marines.togetherweserved.com's Louis J. Rotondo page
+myfallensoldiers.com's Allen D. Wesley page

United States Custom House
Ritter and Shay (Architects), 1932
* people sitting and kneeling, face, farming, navigation, and artist tools, ship, buildings, rope, ox and bison, staff, food, birds, globe, plants, dolphin border
* Whole building. South side of Chestnut, West of 2nd.
* 39.948300,-75.144185 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's page for the building
+philadelphiabuildings.org's Ritter and Shay page

River Soundings
Thomas Drugan, Laura Haddad, 2025
* Dedicated to the memory of Michael Edward Haddad and Matthew Charles Houder
* big tower, ideas and symbols, maritime tools, boat parts, compass, map, rope, light sources
* Lights up at night. The artists' page for this piece includes a picture of it lit.
* inscription:
River Soundings rises as a beacon, plumbing the depths of the Delaware River. This public art commission, shaped by history and phenomena of the river, conjures an aesthetic resonance of place.
The art is inspired by what is considered one of the world's oldest navigational instruments: a device called a lead line, used to measure the depth of waterways. A lead line is a rope marked in 6-foot increments, or fathoms. A tapered and faceted bar of lead, called a sounding weight, is attached to its end. The lead line is cast and lowered into the water until the sounding weight reaches the riverbed. The length of the immersed portion of rope indicates the depth. As boats move upriver, this procedure is repeated to ensure safe passage, in a method called "marking the river."
Vertical elements in the sculpture evoke boat masts and rigging. Each cable symbolizes an individual lead line. Reflective "sounding weights" demarcate the depth of the riverbed, as measured from the top of the sculpture, while the blue discs above them express water. Together, the cables represent the actual depth of the Delaware River adjacent to the site. The cables are arranged in a spiral pattern found in pinecones, honoring the lumber industry that once thrived along this part of the river.
Surrounding the sculpture are smaller pipes alluding to the wooden structural piles found at maritime piers. These "pile pipes are etched with imagery also related to river navigation. On the three tallest pipes are representations of a traditional lead line as well as lunar and tidal cycles affecting the river's changing depth. The tops of the six shorter pipes illustrate: a map approximating high-tide depths of the Delaware River referenced in the sculpture cables; a lens found in the Harbor Refuge Lighthouse at the mouth of the river; a compass pointing to magnetic north; a ship's clock; a steering wheel of the USS Cruiser Olympia; and a star knot with a visual motif of interlocking hands that embodies maritime fiber and Philadelphia's civic notion of Brotherly Love.
River Soundings began as a public art project between the site developers and artists. Along the way, we lost a brother, Michael Edward Haddad, and a son, Matthew Charles Houder. The gift of their lives gave the art ne meaning and instilled deeper team bonds. River Soundings is dedicated to the memory of Michael and Matthew and the inspiration they provided for the creation of this work.
* Plaza. Rivermark Northern Liberties. Delaware River at Spring Garden, East of Columbus.
* 39.959800,-75.135500 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* See also:
+artists' page for this piece
+phillyvoice.com article about this piece
+haddad-drugan.com
+courierpostonline.com obituary for Michael Edward Haddad
+mattschopfund.com
+legacy.com obituary for Matthew Charles Houder
+rivermarknorthernliberties.com