Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net

Nearby 39.949570,-75.153120

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Quaker City National Bank Entrance
Willis Gaylord Hale (Architect), 1888
* heads, headgear
* This is the Western third of the original building.
* Entrance. North side of Chestnut between 7th and 8th.
* 39.949570,-75.153120 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* Exhibits: Gargoyles
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's page for the building
+philadelphiabuildings.org's Willis Gaylord Hale page

Integrity Trust Company Classical Scene
Paul Philippe Cret (Architect), 1924
* Relief with Athena and Hermes
* people standing, sitting, winged helmet, kerykeion, tablet, furniture
* This is from the redesigned middle third of the original building.
* inscription:
MDCCCLXXXVII
MDCCCCX .II.
* Wall. North side of Chestnut between 7th and 8th.
* 39.949550,-75.153000 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's page for the building
+wikipedia.org's Paul Philippe Cret page
+wikipedia.org's Athena page
+wikipedia.org's Hermes page

Henry C. Lea Building
Collins and Autenrieth (Architects), 1901 (approximate)
* Commissioned by and subsequently unofficially named after Henry C. Lea
* people heads, lion heads
* The information for the building from philadelphiabuildings.org and the city's historic inventory document is both confusing and self-contradictory and is not helped by the fact that the buildings on Chestnut were renumbered to the current standard. The historic inventory document says the current building was commissioned in 1897 but also says the combined adjoining building was occupied through 1900, which is why I am listing 1901.
* Walls. South side of Chestnut between 7th and 8th.
* 39.949475,-75.153325 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's page for the building
+phila.gov historical inventory pdf that includes this building
+philadelphiabuildings.org's Collins and Autenrieth page
+wikipedia.org's Henry Charles Lea page

Woman Looking Through a Window
George Segal, 1980 (installed 1981)
* small standing person, window
* Building entrance overhang. North side of Chestnut between 6th and 7th.
* 39.949400,-75.151575 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* See also:
+associationforpublicart.org's page for this piece
+segalfoundation.org
+wikipedia.org's George Segal page

Saint Fiacre
Henry Mitchell
* statue of Saint Fiacre
* small crouching person
* This piece is located in what was the garden of the Philadelphia History Museum.
* North side of Ranstead between 6th and 7th.
* 39.949950,-75.151650 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* Exhibits: Religious
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Philadelphia History Museum page
+cantonartcollection.com's Henry Mitchell bio
+wikipedia.org's Saint Fiacre page

Milkweed Pod
Clark B. Fitz-Gerald, 1965
* big plant fountain
* Courtyard. Behind the Rohm and Haas building, West side of 6th street between Chestnut and Market (go up the steps and through the underpass).
* 39.950300,-75.151400 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* See also:
+associationforpublicart.org's page for this piece
+Clark Fitz-Gerald gallery from sfitzgeraldfineart.com

Gimbel Brothers Clock
1927
* clock
* Wall. Northeast corner, 9th and Chestnut.
* 39.949875,-75.155375 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified Artists
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org entry for the building

Public Ledger Building
Horace Trumbauer (Architect), 1924
* reclining people, head scarf, scepter, burning oil lamp, quills, scrolls, books and tablets
* Entrances. Southwest corner, 6th and Chestnut.
* 39.949200,-75.150850 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* See also:
+philadelphiabuilding.org's page for the building
+philadelphiabuildings.org's Horace Trumbauer page

Justice and Law
Donald De Lue, 1940
* big seated people, eagles
* North and South walls. Nix Federal Building. Southwest corner of 9th and Market and the Northwest corner of 9th and Chestnut.
* 39.949950,-75.155900 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* See also:
+hiddencityphila.org article that discusses the history of this piece
+sculptor.org's Donald De Lue page
+wikipedia.org's Donald De Lue page
+wikipedia.org's Nix Federal Building page

Justice the Guardian of Liberty
1975
* Seal of the United States of America, eagle, stars, olive branches, shield and arrows
* South wall. Federal Court. North side of Market, East of 7th.
* 39.951000,-75.151300 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified Artists
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's James A. Byrne United States Courthouse page

Mail Delivery
Edmond Amateis, 1941
* standing people, dogs, plants, fruit, mail and mailboxes, sled, truck, hats
* Wall. Nix Federal Building. West side of 9th between Chestnut and Market.
* 39.950550,-75.155400 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* Exhibits: Black Lives, Labor
* See also:
+associationforpublicart.org's page for this piece>
+wikipedia.org's Edmond Amateis page
+wikipedia.org's Nix Federal Building page

State Shields
Louis Milione, 1940
* state shields, plants, people sitting and prone, standing, headgear, weapons, tools, scrolls, ships, anchor, flags, food, canine, birds, buildings and parts of buildings, water, mountains, globe, sun and stars
* Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia
* Wall. Nix Federal Building. West side of 9th between Chestnut and Market.
* 39.950550,-75.155400 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* See also:
+powerlibrary.org page that includes biographical information for Louis Milione
+wikipedia.org's Nix Federal Building page

Strawbridge and Clothier Building West Entrance
Edward Paul Simon (Architect), Grant Miles Simon (Architect), 1931
* bas relief of William Penn
* small logo, standing people, headgear, peace pipe, paper, plants, winged cherubs, birds
* the building has been divided up and used by many different businesses since the department store closed in 2006
* inscription: STRAWBRIDGE AND CLOTHIER SEAL OF CONFIDENCE
* Above the entrance. North side of Market, East of 9th.
* 39.951400,-75.154575 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's page for the building
+wikipedia.org's Strawbridge's page
+picture of the building still under construction in 1930 at phillyhistory.org
+philadelphiabuildings.org's Edward Paul Simon page
+philadelphiabuildings.org's Grant Miles Simon page
+wikipedia.org's William Penn page

Pony Express Rider
* small seated person, hat, horse, plants, mesas
* Over the door. North side of Chestnut,West of 9th.
* 39.949975,-75.156110 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified Artists, Labor

Pony Express
* horse, sitting person, hat, plants
* Entrance. Nix Federal Building. West side of 9th, South of Market.
* 39.950950,-75.155300 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified Artists, Labor
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Nix Federal Building page

George Washington
Joseph Alexis Bailly, 1869
* Statue of George Washington
* standing person, book, cane
* behind the Independence Hall security perimeter, but visible across Chestnut. The first two pictures are from a print taken before the perimeter was established.
* In front of Independence Hall. South side of Chestnut between 5th and 6th.
* 39.949050,-75.150000 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* See also:
+phillyhistory.org 1913 picture of this piece
+phillyhistory.org 1929 picture of this piece
+wikipedia.org's Joseph Alexis Bailly page
+wikipedia.org's George Washington page
+wikipedia.org's Independence Hall page

Washington Square Prisoners of War Memorial
1900
* rock
* inscription:
In memory of the many American soldiers, who, during the War for Independence, died prisoners of war in the jails of Philadlelphia, and were buried in this ground during the years 1777 and 1778. Erected by Quaker City Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, October 1900
* East side of Washington Square. Southwest of 6th and Walnut.
* 39.947400,-75.151550 [map] [nearby]
* On the Washington Square tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified Artists, War
* See also:
+Wally Gobetz's picture of this piece at flickr.com
+wikipedia.org's Washington Square page
+nps.gov's Cultural Landscape Report for Washington Square (449 page pdf)

Independence Hall History
* small outlines of buildings, text (historical marker)
* outlines and histories of Independence Hall, Old City Hall, and Congress Hall. There are two of these: one nearer 5th and one nearer 6th. This is the one closer to 5th.
* Carved into the sidewalk. Across the street from Independence Hall. North side of Chestnut between 5th and 6th.
* 39.949160,-75.149765 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified Artists
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Independence Hall page

Memorial to Enslaved People of African Descent in the United States of America
Emanuel Kelly (Architect), 2010
* Quotes from Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper and Barack Obama
* enclosed space, ideas
* This entry is focused on the part of "The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation" that does not seem to have an official name. The plaque simply labels it "Memorial." The National Park Service web site calls it "a memorial to enslaved Africans." Avenging the Ancestors calls it the "Slavery Memorial.". It features an extensive amount of text, including African sayings, symbols, and a list of African countries. Reproduced here as inscriptions are the text of the plaque, and the quotes from named individuals. The last picture, of the wall with the names of the enslaved people who lived in the President's House, is part of the larger piece and not the Memorial.
* inscription:
"Either America will destroy ignorance or ignorance will destroy the United States." -W.E.B. Du Bois
"I ask no monument proud and high to arrest the gaze of the passers-by, all that my yearning spirit craves, is bury me not in a land of slaves." -Frances Ellen Watkin Harper
"You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought, sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare praying for a dream." -Maya Angelou
"We gave sought to bind the chains of slavery on the limbs of the black man, without thinking that at last we should find the other end of that hateful chain about our own necks." -Frederick Douglass
"It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom... yes we can, yes we can." -Barack Obama
This enclosed space is dedicated to millions of men, women, and children of African descent who lived, worked, and died as enslaved people in the United States of America. They should never again be forgotten. One of two smokehouse rooms in which three enslaved men slept - Giles, Paris, and Austin - once stood in this area. The close proximity to the Liberty Bell Center reminds us that Liberty was not originally intended for all.
It is difficult to understand how men who spoke so passionately of liberty and freedom were unable to see the contradiction, the injustice, and the immorality of their actions. Enslaved Africans and their descendants endured brutality and mistreatment for over 200 years even as their labor build and enriched the nation. The struggle for freedom and political, social, and economic equality continued even after the legal standing of slavery. The devestating effects of slavery continue to affect race relations to this day. Yet, we must continue to strive for the ideals embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.
The African symbols, words, and quotations on the exterior and interior walls speak to the spirit of hope, the resiliance of the human spirit, and the determination of a people to arise out of bondage to freedom.
City of Philadelphia | National Park Service
* Southeast corner, 6th and Market.
* 39.950300,-75.150050 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* Exhibits: Black Lives, Labor
* See also:
+associationforpublicart.org's page for this piece
+hiddencityphila.org article about the controversy and history of this piece
+phillytrib.com review of a book about this piece
+associationforpublicart.org's rememberance of Emanual Kelly
+temple.edu's rememberance of Emanual Kelly
+wikipedia.org's Maya Angelou page
+wikipedia.org's Frederick Douglass page
+wikipedia.org's W.E.B. Du Bois page
+wikipedia.org's Frances Ellen Watkins Harper page
+wikipedia.org's Barack Obama page

Starman in the Ancient Garden
Brower Hatcher, 1990
* big face, architectural elements
* The first two pictures are of the piece in its original configuration. The second two pictures were taken after 2002 when the plaza was leveled and partially converted to a driveway, most of the Ancient Garden elements were removed, and the Starman was moved closer to the Walnut Street sidewalk and surrounded by concrete bumper posts.
* Plaza. Wills Eye Hospital. Southeast corner, 9th and Walnut.
* 39.948150,-75.155550 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* Exhibits: Favorites, Moved
* See also:
+associationforpublicart.org's page for this piece
+midoceanstudio.com
+willseye.org

Triton Fountain
Donald De Lue, 1941
* Statue of Triton
* fish, kneeling person, fountain
* Not (as listed elsewhere) on North 6th
* Courtyard. North side of Chestnut, East of 10th, behind a fence.
* 39.950365,-75.156190 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* Exhibits: Religious
* See also:
+sculptor.org's Donald De Lue page
+wikipedia.org's Donald De Lue page
+wikipedia.org's Triton page

Wisdom and Commerce
Alfred-Alphonse Bottiau, 1932
* big sitting people, chairs, standing person, tree, owl, ship mast and sails
* Flanking the entrance. North side of Chestnut, East of 10th.
* 39.950050,-75.156650 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Alfred-Alphonse Bottiau page

Bicentennial Dawn
Louise Nevelson, 1975
* abstract forms
* Visible through the glass. Sometimes accessible through the building.
* inscription:
My search in life has been for a new seeing, a new image, a new insight, a new consciousness. This search includes the object as well as the in-between places - the dawns and the dusks, the objective world, the heavenly spheres, the places between the land and the sea... Man's creations arrest the secret images that can be found in nature.
Bicentennial Dawn is a place, an environment that exists between night and day - solid and liquid - temporal and eternal substances. It can be experienced as a monument to the past as well as the spores of the future. Contemplation is the means by which we extend our awareness.
Bicentennial Dawn is a contemplative experience in search of awareness that already exists in the human mind. The inner and the outer equal one.
* Inside. Federal Court. 6th and Market, Northwest of the Northwest corner.
* 39.951225,-75.150600 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* See also:
+associationforpublicart.org's page for this piece
+si.edu interview with Louise Nevelson
+wikipedia.org's Louise Nevelson page
+wikipedia.org's James A. Byrne United States Courthouse page

Burst of Joy
Harold Kimmelman, 1977
* big exploding geometric form
* Was on the West side of 9th Street, just North of Market. Removed 2015 with the conversion of The Gallery to Fashion District Philadelphia. It has been reported that the piece has been or will be donated to Central High School.
* Former Gallery Plaza/Courtyard.
* 39.951650,-75.155250 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Missing
* See also:
+Artist's page for this piece
+hksculpt.com

Goniochome
Softlab, 2019
* big collection of abstract colored aluminum fins
* The artist's page for this piece calls it "Sequin", but a sign at the site itself calls it "Goniochome". I don't know if the sign is wrong or the piece changed names. I'm leaving the name from the sign for now.
* inscription:
Based on the concept of iridescence, this piece was uniquely designed for the main entrance of Fashion District. One of the most well-known examples of this magical light effect is Antoni Gaudi's Casa Batllo tiled roof. "Just as the scales of a fish absorb different wavelengths of light to produce a shimmering effect, our piece uses a series of aluminum fins at varying color and reflectivity to produce a large lenticular surface that changes depending on the angle of view.
* Lobby. Fashion District Philadelphia. Northwest corner, 9th and Market.
* 39.951600,-75.155300 [map] [nearby]
* On the Jefferson Center City Campus tour
* See also:
+artist's page for this piece
+soft-lab.com
+fashiondistrictphiladelphia.com
+wikipedia.org's page for Fashion District Philadelphia