Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net

Content: Fire

Flame
Sherl Joseph Winter, 1968
* flame, fountain
* Originally in the main quad between Market and Chestnut, 32nd and 33rd. Moved 2006. The first picture is from the original location, the second picture is from the new location off, and the third picture is from the new location on.
* On the campus of Drexel University. Southeast corner 33rd and Race.
* 39.958690,-75.189050 [map] [nearby]
* On the Powelton tour
* Exhibits: Moved
* See also:
+winterartstudio.com
+Drexel University




Fire
Robinson Fredenthal, 1973
* abstract fire
* Plaza. Behind 1234 Market. North side of Ludlow, East of 13th.
* 39.951385,-75.160700 [map] [nearby]
* On the Convention District tour
* See also:
+robinfredenthal.com
+emporis.com's 1234 Market page




Living Flame Memorial
Reginald Beauchamp, 1976
* abstract flame, police and fire department logos
* Police and Fire Memorial. Painted during the 2006 Franklin Square renovation. The first picture is without the paint.
* Franklin Square. Northwest corner, 6th and Race.
* 39.955400,-75.149825 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* Exhibits: Police and Fire Fighters
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Reginald Beauchamp page
+historicphiladelphia.org's Franklin Square page
+wikipedia.org's Franklin Square page




The Triangle Fire
Frank Bramblett, 1983
* fire, clothing manufacturing tools
* Permanently in shadow and not easy to see.
* South wall of the overhang. East side of 4th, North of Chestnut, behind the security grate.
* 39.949475,-75.147250 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* Exhibits: Labor
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire page
+frankbramblett.com




Chimeras
* small chimeras, flame
* Over the entrance. 1921 Chestnut (North side of Chestnut between 19th and 20th).
* 39.951990,-75.172694 [map] [nearby]
* On the Rittenhouse Square tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified




Marine Club Lamps
1904 (year of building)
* small eagles, flames
* In front of the Marine Club. West side of Broad, just South of Washington.
* 39.937500,-75.167050 [map] [nearby]
* On the Avenue of the Arts tour




Phoenix Rising in Flames
Natalie Charkow Hollander, 1976
* phoenix, flames
* In front of the Fire Administration Building. South side of Spring Garden, East of 3rd.
* 39.960560,-75.143025 [map] [nearby]
* On the Northern Liberties tour
* Exhibits: Police and Fire Fighters
* See also:
+gf.org's Natalie Charkow Hollander page
+Philadelphia Fire Department




Paint Torch
Claes Oldenburg, 2011
* big paintbrush, torch
* lights up at night
* Plaza. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. West side of Broad, North of Arch.
* 39.955350,-75.163200 [map] [nearby]
* On the Convention District tour
* See also:
+oldenburgvanbruggen.com
+Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts




Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza
WRT, 2018
* Quote from George Washington
* ideas, video flame
* A video eternal flame and text comparing the ideals of the United States and Nazi Germany.
* Built around the Monument to the Six Million Jewish Martyrs
* inscription: (partial):
"It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigorty no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support."
-George Washington Letter of New Port Hebrew Congregation
August 18, 1790
* Plaza. Between the Parkway and Arch, West of 16th.
* 39.954925,-75.167200 [map] [nearby]
* On the Parkway and Pennsylvania tour
* Exhibits: War
* See also:
+wwikipedia.org's page for the plaza
+wrtdesign.com's page for this piece
+wrtdesign.com
+wikipedia.org's George Washington page




Schiller
Heinrich Manger, 1886
* Statue of Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller
* two standing people, one winged, torch, sitting person, tree stump, quill
* South side near the East end of the central promenade under a tree in the Horticulture Center. Horticulture Drive. East of Belmont..
* 39.982750,-75.211800 [map] [nearby]
* On the West Park tour
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Schiller page
+myphillypark.org's Horticulture Center page




All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors
J. Otto Schweizer, 1934
* group of people standing, torch, hats and helmets, shield, eagles and large feather, horses, seal of Pennsylvania
* inscription:
front: Erected by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in honor of her colored soldiers.
back: To commemorate the heroism and sacrifice of all colored soldiers who served in the various wars engaged in by the United States of America that a lasting record shall be made of their unselfish devotion to duty as an inspiration to future generations this monument is dedicated May 30, 1934.
right: American Revolution, Civil War, Indian Wars
left: Spanish American War, Phillipine Insurrection, World War
* West side of Logan Square. Aviator Park. Southeast of 20th and the Parkway.
* 39.958320,-75.171800 [map] [nearby]
* On the Parkway and Pennsylvania tour
* Exhibits: Moved, War, Black Lives
* See also:
+phillyhistory.org 1935 picture of this piece from a previous location in Fairmount Park
+One of Max Buten's pictures of this piece
+Another of Max Buten's pictures of this piece
+wikipedia.org's J. Otto Schweizer page
+wikipedia.org's Logan Circle page




Guardians of Fire
Gerd Utescher, 1964
* small group of people standing, fire
* In front of Engine Company 1. East side of Broad, South of Bainbridge.
* 39.942290,-75.165525 [map] [nearby]
* On the Avenue of the Arts tour
* Exhibits: Police and Fire Fighters
* See also:
+askart.com's Gerd Utescher page




Union Baptist Church Gargoyles
1832 (cornerstone)
* Symbols of Jesus, Saint John, Saint Mark and Saint Matthew
* small kneeling and partial angels, torches, winged bulls, winged lions, crosses, crowns, birds, musical instruments, books
* Walls. Historic Union Baptist Church of South Philadelphia. South side of Fitzwater, West of 19th.
* 39.942775,-75.174475 [map] [nearby]
* On the Fitler Square tour
* Exhibits: Religious, Gargoyles
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Jesus page
+wikipedia.org's John the Evangelist page
+wikipedia.org's Mark the Evangelist page
+wikipedia.org's Matthew the Apostle page
+facebook page for The Historic Union Baptist Church of South Philadelphia




Beneficial Savings Fund Society Building
Horace Trumbauer (Architect), 1916
* reliefs of Mercury and Venus
* small kneeling people, headgear, mirror, flaming torch, plants, birds
* East wall and North entrance. Thomas R. Kline Institute for Trial Advocacy. Southwest corner, 12th and Chestnut.
* 39.950350,-75.160250 [map] [nearby]
* On the Gayborhood tour
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org page for the building
+Horace Trumbauer page from philadelphiabuildings.org
+wikipedia.org's Mercury page
+wikipedia.org's Venus page
+drexel.edu's page for the Kline Institute




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
+Horace Trumbauer page from philadelphiabuildings.org




Monument to the Six Million Jewish Martyrs
Nathan Rapoport, 1964
* people, books and scrolls, sword, flames
* The base of the memorial has inscriptions in both English and Hebrew. The last picture is from the new plaza.
* Was a standalone piece until 2018, now part of the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza
* inscription:
front (English):
Presented to the City of Philadelphia by the Association of Jewish New Americans in cooperation with the Federation of Jewish Agencies of Greater Philadelphia, April 26 1964.
right (English):
Remember Drancy, Flossenberg, Gross-Rosea, Klooga, Ewow-Janowska, Majdanek, Mauthausen, Newengamme, Auschwitz, Babi-Yar, Belzic, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Chelmno, Dauchau, Ponary, Ravensbruck, Sachsenhausen, Sobibor, Stutthof, Therestenstadt, Trebeinka, Westerbork.
left (English):
The Holocaust 1933-1945.
Now and forever enshrined in memory are the six million Jewish martyrs who perished in concentration camps, ghettos, and gas chambers. In their deepest agony they clung to the image of humanity, and their acts of resistance in the forests and ghettos redeemed the honor of man. Their suffering and heroism are forever branded upon our conscience and shall be remembered from generation to generation.
* 16th, Arch, and the Parkway.
* 39.955035,-75.167100 [map] [nearby]
* On the Parkway and Pennsylvania tour
* Exhibits: Religious, Moved, War
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Nathan Rapoport page




Religious Liberty
Moses Jacob Ezekiel, 1876
* big standing people, liberty cap, eagle, serpent, flame, the Constitution
* Was half a block North on 5th. Moved late 2010. The first two pictures are from the current location. The rest are from the previous location.
* inscription:
Plinth:
Dedicated to the people of the United States by the order B'nai B'rith and Israelites of America in commemoration of the centennial anniversary of American Independence.
Plaque:
Commissioned by B'nai B'rith for the United States Centenial, "Religious Liberty" was dedicated in Fairmount Park on Thanksgiving Day in 1876.
Carved in Rome from a single block of carrara marble, the statue was executed by Sir Moses Ezekiel, an American Jewish sculptor.
The monument was rededicated by B'nai B'rith International for this nation's Bicentennial in 1976.
The allegorical group represents liberty protecting religious freedom. The female figure wears the liberty cap bordered by thirteen stars for each of the original American colonies. In her left hand, she holds the constitution of the United States the legal document by which freedom is guaranteed to all citizens.
Religion is personified by a youth standing beside the figure of Liberty, whose outstretched arm extends over him protectively. His right hand reaches toward her, while in his left, he holds the inextinguishable flame of faith.
At the base of the group is an American eagle crushing a serpent in its talons, signifying the triumph of American democracy over the tyranny of intolerance and oppression.
The monument was relocated to Independence Mall and rededicated on May 4, 1986 in an historic joint venture between B'nai B'rith International and the National Museum of American Jewish History.
From this site, the statue proclaims in harmony with the Liberty Bell only steps away, a resounding message of religious liberty for all peoples.
* In front of the National Museum of American Jewish History. Southeast corner, 5th and Market.
* 39.950350,-75.148825 [map] [nearby]
* On the Independence Mall tour
* Exhibits: Religious, Moved
* See also:
+Max Buten's first picture of this piece
+Max Buten's second picture of this piece
+Max Buten's third picture of this piece
+jewishvirtuallibrary.org's Moses Jacob Ezekiel page
+National Museum of American Jewish History




Philadelphia Firsts
George Greenamyer, 1998
* Portrayals of and references to John Bartram, William Camac, Mary Cassatt, Rebecca Cole, Thomas Eakins, John Fitch, Benjamin Franklin, Francis Hopkinson and Betsy Ross
* small standing people, building, tiger, boat, fish, fire, medical and fire-fighting equipment, flag, plant
* inscription:
First American Zoo
1874
The first animal and Dr. William Camac, founder
First American museum and art school
1805
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Thomas Eakins and Mary Cassat
First American volunteer fire company
1736
The union, founded by Benjamin Franklin
First American botanical garden
1728
Bartram's Gardens
John Bartram with Franklinia alatamaha
First American steamboat
1785
John Fitch, inventor
First African-American to graduate from the Women's Medical College
1867
Dr. Rebecca Cole
First American Flag
1777
Betsy Ross, seamstress
Francis Hopkinson, alleged designer
* On top of a pole outside 1515 Arch (aka One Parkway).
* 39.954900,-75.166100 [map] [nearby]
* On the Parkway and Pennsylvania tour
* Exhibits: Police and Fire Fighters
* See also:
+greenamyer.com
+wikipedia.org's John Bartram page
+phillymag.com article about the zoo that mentions William Camac
+wikipedia.org's Mary Cassatt page
+wikipedia.org's Rebecca Cole page
+wikipedia.org's Thomas Eakins page
+wikipedia.org's John Fitch page
+The Electric Franklin
+wikipedia.org's Francis Hopkinson page
+ushistory.org's Betsy Ross page




Central Terrace Medallions
* small urn, sitting person, plants, snakes, weapons, mirror, clouds, flames, sun, lion, standing person, headgear, books, owl, hand, ship, flag
* inscription: Justitia, Prudentia, Amor Patriea, Abundantia, Potestas
* Central Terrace Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial. Kelly Drive, past Boat House Row.
* 39.973600,-75.190800 [map] [nearby]
* On the Kelly Drive tour
* Exhibits: Unidentified
* See also:
+ushistory.org's Samuel Memorial tour page




St. Maron Church Cross and Mosaics
1902 (year of building)
* symbol and mosaics of Jesus and Mary
* three bar cross, standing person, held child, headgear, ship, buildings, clouds, plants, candle
* The upper mosaic says 1997 at the bottom
* Front wall and entrance. Saint Maron Maronite Catholic Church. North side of Ellsworth, West of 10th.
* 39.935762,-75.160576 [map] [nearby]
* On the South Philly tour
* Exhibits: Religious, Mosaic
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Jesus page
+wikipedia.org's Mary, mother of Jesus page
+saintmaron.org




Bruce S. Marks Scout Resource Center
1929
* logos, insignia, and mottoes, lion's head, shields, stars, birds, bison, tools, tent, anchor, torch, flowers
* inscription:
Youth Prepared Safeguards the Nation
Founded MCMX
This house dedicated to the training
of boys for youthful citizenship. Was
built by the Boy Scouts and their friends.
Erected MXMXXIX
On my honor I will do my best
to do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the scout law.
* Whole building.. Southeast corner, 22nd and Winter. One block South of the Parkway.
* 39.958850,-75.175300 [map] [nearby]
* On the JFK North tour




Tabernacle Presbyterian Church
Theophilus Parsons Chandler Jr. (Architect), Henry Christopher McCook, Michael F. Scully, 1884 - 1886
* Symbols of and references to Jesus, Saint John, Saint Luke and Saint Mark
* dragons, plants, partial cherubs and angels, winged lion, winged ox, eagle, sun, candle, fire
* Rev. McCook is reported to have chosen the inscriptions
* inscription:
North Entrance: I am the door.
tower: My Goodness and My fortress. My High Tower and My Deliver. He in whom I trust.
East Entrance: We have seen his star in the East and are come to worship him.
shields:
He is risen.
Lampades multae, una lux.
Christus Exaltus Salvator.
Lux lucet in tenebris
Nec tamen consumebatur.
* North and East sides. Tabernacle United Church. Southwest corner, 37th and Chestnut.
* 39.954500,-75.196800 [map] [nearby]
* On the Chestnut 29th to 40th tour
* Exhibits: New, Religious, Gargoyles
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's page for the building
+Gargoyle Hunter's page for the building
+wikipedia.org's Theophilus P. Chandler Jr. page
+wikipedia.org's Henry Christopher McCook page
+philadelphiabuildings.org's Michael F. Scully entry
+wikipedia.org's Jesus page
+wikipedia.org's John the Evangelist page
+wikipedia.org's Luke the Evangelist page
+wikipedia.org's Mark the Evangelist page
+tabunited.org




Witherspoon Building
1895 - 1897
* References to and representations of Albert Barnes, Charles Hodge, Jesus, Saint John, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Matthew and John Witherspoon
* small lion, birds, ox, plants, books, winged person, groups of people, standing people, reclining people, heads and eyes, fire, scales, headgear, anchor, cup, furniture, various religious symbols
* Some art was moved to the Presbyterian Historical Society: Witherspoon Building Figures
* Entire Building. West side of Juniper between Sansom and Walnut, and along the North side of Walnut West of Juniper.
* 39.949250,-75.163200 [map] [nearby]
* On the Gayborhood tour
* Exhibits: Religious, Gargoyles, Unidentified
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's page for the building
+wikipedia.org Albert Barnes page
+wikipedia.org Charles Hodge page
+wikipedia.org's Jesus page
+wikipedia.org's John the Evangelist page
+wikipedia.org's Luke the Evangelist page
+wikipedia.org's Mark the Evangelist page
+wikipedia.org's Matthew the Apostle page
+wikipedia.org's John Witherspoon page




Bonwit Teller Building
Bella Abdallah, 1927 (approximate)
* small urns, cats, birds, standing people, seated cherubs, pens and books, mirrors, face, Egyptian headpiece, flame
* Artist attribution is from philadelphiabuildings.org
* Entrance. Southwest corner, 17th and Chestnut.
* 39.951430,-75.169000 [map] [nearby]
* On the Rittenhouse Square tour
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org entry for the building