Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net

Architecture: Bridges

Eagles
Adolph Alexander Weinman, 1903
* eagles
* Four identical eagles, originally from Pennsylvania Station in New York City.
* Bridge columns. Four corners of the Market Street Bridge. East of 29th and West of 24th on Market.
* 39.954400,-75.181090 [map] [nearby]
* On the Avenue of Technology tour
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Adolph Alexander Weinman page
+wikipedia.org's Market Street Bridge page

Great Seals of Cities and States
Paul Philippe Cret, Leon Hermant, 1926
* big Seals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, standing people, arm, scales and plow, ship, basket, fruit, scroll, horses, eagle
* The Philadelphia and Pennsylvania seals are in Philadelphia. The Camden and New Jersey seals (not pictured) are in Camden.
* Bridge anchorages. Ben Franklin Bridge. West of Columbus on Race and South of Vine on Water.
* 39.954225,-75.140300 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Paul Philippe Cret page
+wikipedia.org's Leon Hermant page
+wikipedia.org's Benjamin Franklin Bridge page

Market Street Bridge Carvings
1932
* small lion heads, human heads, stylized bridges
* The lion heads are on the corners of the bridge. The faces are best observed from South and North of the bridge on Schuylkill Avenue/29th or from Schuylkill Banks below the bridge.
* Bridge columns and arches. Market Street Bridge. Market Street, East of 29th to West of 24th.
* 39.954625,-75.180350 [map] [nearby]
* On the Avenue of Technology tour
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Market Street Bridge page

Schuylkill Permanent Bridge
1932
* small bridge
* inscription:
Schuylkill Permanent Bridge
Opened to traffic January 1, 1805
Altered and remodeled 1850
Destroyed by fire, November 20, 1875
Replaced the same year by
a temporary wooden bridge
Iron cantilever bridge built and completed
April 20, 1888. Replaced by this structure
1932
* Bridge column. Middle of the South side of the Market Street Bridge. Market, East of 29th.
* 39.954350,-75.180430 [map] [nearby]
* On the Avenue of Technology tour
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Market Street Bridge page

Spring Garden Street - West River Drive Bridges
1965 (year of current bridge)
* small bridges and other buildings, trees, water
* inscription:
- The Collossus -
Wooden covered bridge - span 540 feet
Longest arch bridge in the world
Opened to traffic - April 28, 1813
Destroyed by fire - September 1, 1838
Replaced by wire bridge in 1842
- Wire Bridge -
Wire cable suspension bridge - span 357 feet
First cable suspension bridge for vehicles in America
Opened to traffic - January 2, 1842
Replaced by Spring Garden Bridge in 1875
- Spring Garden Bridge -
Double deck truss bridge - span 355 feet
Spring Garden Street - upper deck
Callowhill Street - lower deck
Opened to traffic - July 10, 1875
Replaced by the present structures
* Bridge wall. Center City end, Art Museum side of the Spring Garden Bridge.
* 39.964550,-75.182500 [map] [nearby]
* On the Art Museum Grounds tour

Vine Street Neighborhood Relief
Michael Borsuk, William Wilson, 1986 - 1991
* big buildings and bridge
* Bridge (676 overpass). Spanning 3rd, 4th, and 5th North of Wood.
* 39.957050,-75.145800 [map] [nearby]
* On the Old City tour
* See also:
+spanamwar.com's Michael Borsuk memorial page

Fingerspan
Jody Pinto, 1987
* abstract functional bridge
* Bridge. Down the orange trail from the West end of the West Mount Airy section of Livezy Lane..
* 40.046500,-75.211590 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+jodypinto.com

Big Ben at Franklin Town
Alexander L. Generalis, Tom Miles, 1992
* Bust of Benjamin Franklin
* big head, eyeglasses, lightning bolts, arch, kite, implied keys
* The eight seat-sized posts each have a letter inscribed on top, spelling out FRANKLIN.
* Bridge over I-676. 17th and Vine.
* 39.958450,-75.167100 [map] [nearby]
* On the Franklin Town tour
* See also:
+milesstudios.info
+ushistory.org's The Electric Ben Franklin

Stroll
William King, 1995
* big abstract people strolling
* South Street Footbridge. South between Front and Columbus.
* 39.940850,-75.143150 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's William King page

Zoo Mural
Geronimo Company, Paul Santoleri, Steve Stormer, 2002
* big abstract, giraffe, hippo
* Focusing on the sculptural and mosaic elements.
* Railroad bridge. Outside the Zoo. Both sides of Girard, from 34th West.
* 39.975150,-75.195550 [map] [nearby]
* On the West Park tour
* Exhibits: Favorites, Mosaic
* See also:
+paulsantoleri.com
+findagrave.com's Steven Michael Stormer page
+philadelphiazoo.org

Metamorphosis
Cheryl Levin, Robert Phillips, 2006
* big and small insects, building (Girard College), elephant, food (including a mug of beer), giraffe, gorilla, partial standing person, musical instrument, plants, ship, sun and moon, tiger, tools, train and trolley, water
* The insects are by Phillips, the mosaics are by Levin and Mural Corps youth.
* inscription:
a sculptural and mosaic
public art project
dedicated to the community
and its cycles of change
* Railroad crossing bridge. Girard between 31st and Poplar Drive.
* 39.975050,-75.187225 [map] [nearby]
* On the Fairmount tour
* Exhibits: Mosaic, Mass Transit
* See also:
+cheryllevin.org

Foo Dogs
2011
* lions
* Bridge over I-676. West side of 10th at Vine.
* 39.957000,-75.155700 [map] [nearby]
* On the Convention District tour
* See also:
+wikipedia.org Chinese Guardian Lions page

Marquee
Aaron Igler, Matthew Suib, Richard Torchia, 2011
* LED representation of water
* inscription: Light Emitting diodes (LEDs) displaying live-feed video of the surface of the Delaware River sourced from a camera pointed east. Never the same twice, the real-time images of the Delaware River streaming overhead shift constantly according to weather and lighting conditions, as well as boating patterns and river wildlife. Drawing attention toward the waterfront these images also encourage viewers to reimagine the cascading noise of overpass traffic as the sound of waves. By reciprocating the gesture made by the Race Street Pier, an urban park that brings the city to the river, Marquee brings the river to the city.
* West side of the I-95 overpass. Race, East of 2nd.
* 39.953750,-75.141600 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* See also:
+greenhousemedia.com (Aaron Igler and Matthew Suib)

Race Street Connector
Field Operations, 2011
* big idea sign, measurements of water
* "CITY" is on the East side, pointing West and "RIVER" is on the West side, pointing East.
* inscription:
This dramatic light screen, made of expanded metal with bold signage and color-shifting night lighting, unifies the corridor underneath the expressways and draws people to the waterfront. The smaller characters graphically register the historic flooding events of the Delaware River by month, year and peak height as recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the Race Street Pier (Pier 11). The resulting timeline visually reinforces the dynamic conntection between the city and the river.
* Under the 1-95 overpass. South side of Race, East of 2nd.
* 39.953670,-75.140950 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* See also:
+fieldoperations.net

Lin Zexu Memorial Statue
2012 (installed)
* Statue of Lin Zexu
* standing person, hat, telescope, sword
* inscription:
Summary
Lin Zexu (1785-1850) was a Chinese scholar and official during the late Qing dynasty. He is most famous for his fight against opium smuggling in Guangzhou, China. In 1838, Lin was sent to Guanadong to halt the importation of opium by the British. He confiscated more than 20,000 chests of opium and supervised its destruction during a 23-day campaign beginning on June 3, 1839 in Humen China. This action is usually considered to be the primary catalyst for the first Opium War (1839-1842) between Britain and China. In recognition of his valiant fight against narcotics and British invasion, Lin is highly respected in the history of China as national hero.
* Bridge over I-676. West side of 10th at Vine.
* 39.956900,-75.155750 [map] [nearby]
* On the Convention District tour
* Exhibits: War
* See also:
+wikipedia.org Lin Zexu page

Market Bridge Lights
GVA Lighting, 2013 (replaced 1999 installation)
* LED lights
* Visible after dark
* Bridge arches. Underneath the Market Street Bridge. Market Street, East of 29th to West of 24th.
* 39.954665,-75.180600 [map] [nearby]
* On the Avenue of Technology tour
* See also:
+schuylkillbanks.org bridge lighting project article
+gvalighting.com's page for this project
+gvalighting.com
+wikipedia.org's Market Street Bridge page

Spring Garden Connector
Cloud Geshen, The Lighting Practice, 2016
* backlit leaves
* Underneath the I95 bridge. Spring Garden L Station. Spring Garden, East of 2nd.
* 39.960515,-75.140375 [map] [nearby]
* On the Northern Liberties tour
* Exhibits: Mass Transit
* See also:
+lightingpractice.com entry for this piece
+cloudgehshan.com
+thelightingpractice.com
+wikipedia.org's Spring Garden Station page

Tulpehanink nta
Paul Santoleri, 2020
* big turtle, flowers, water, fish
* Bridge. Cotton Street South of Main.
* 40.024650,-75.223065 [map] [nearby]
* On the Manayunk tour
* Exhibits: New, Mosaic
* See also:
+paulsantoleri.com

Contrafuerte
Miguel Horn, 2021
* big people, hunched and sitting
* Bridge across the alley. Cuthbert, West of 12th.
* 39.953440,-75.160185 [map] [nearby]
* On the Convention District tour
* See also:
+artist's page for this piece
+miguelhorn.art