Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net

Tour: Independence Mall

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The Independence Mall tour begins On the South side of Chestnut West of 7th loops around the Mall and ends on the North side of Chestnut East of 7th. Specifically it goes

East on Chestnut across 5th, crossing to the North side of Chestnut at 6th
a little ways South on 5th and back across Chestnut
East on the North side of Chestnut across 4th
North on the East side of 4th to Market
West on the South side of Market to 5th
North on Market to the next walkway
East on the walkway about half a block
Back to 5th
North on 5th to Race
West on Race to 6th
Northwest to the middle of Franklin Square
back to 6th and Race
South on 6th to Market
West on Market half a block
back East on Market across 6th
across Market
across 6th on the South side of Market to Milkweed Pod
East to 6th
South to Ranstead
West on Ranstead to 7th
South on 7th to Chestnut
East on the North side of Chestnut about half a block

Lion and People Heads
* parts of people, cats
* Walls. South side of Chestnut between 7th and 8th.
* 39.949475,-75.153325 [map] [nearby]

Quaker City National Bank Entrance
1888 - 1892
* heads, headgear
* This appears to be only 1/3 of the original building.
* Entrance. North side of Chestnut between 7th and 8th.
* 39.949570,-75.153120 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Gargoyles, Unidentified
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's page for the building

Classical Scene
1910 (MDCCCX)
* Reliefs of Athena and Hermes
* people standing, sitting, winged helmet, kerykeion, tablet, furniture
* Wall. North side of Chestnut between 7th and 8th.
* 39.949550,-75.153000 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Unidentified
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Athena page
+wikipedia.org's Hermes page

Chestnut Street Bus Shelters
Pablo Tauler, 1999
* abstract designs, plants
* Some pictures have been edited to make vandalism on the metal illegible.
* Bus shelters. South side of Chestnut, 7th to 17th.
* 39.95035,-75.160290 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Mass Transit
* See also:
+pablotaulerpublicartwork.blogspot.com

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]
* See also:
+philadelphiabuilding.org's page for the building
+philadelphiabuildings.org's Horace Trumbauer 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]
* 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

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]
* Exhibits: Unidentified

Benjamin Franklin
Francesco Lazzarini, 1789 (original)
* Statue of Benjamin Franklin
* standing person, staff, books
* Replica of Benjamin Franklin
* Pediment. Library Hall. 105 S. 5th St, West side of 5th, South of Chestnut.
* 39.948425,-75.149190 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+ushistory.org's The Electric Ben Franklin

The Signer
EvAngelos W. Frudakis, 1980
* standing person, scroll and quill
* 5th and Chestnut, Southeast corner.
* 39.948825,-75.149000 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+inquirer.com obituary for EvAngelos Frudakis

Farmers and Mechanics Bank
William Struthers, 1855
* lion heads, sheep heads
* Struthers is listed as the mason for the building
* Front wall. North side of Chestnut, East of 5th.
* 39.949025,-75.148515 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's page for the building
+philadelphiabuildings.org page for William Struthers

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]
* Exhibits: Labor
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire page
+frankbramblett.com

Dedicated to the American Secretary
Costantino Nivola, 1970
* abstract standing person
* Moved slightly Northeast some time before June 20, 2014, from back against the wall of the building as in the second picture, to up against the sidewalk railing as in the first picture.
* Plaza. South side of Market, between 4th and 5th.
* 39.950250,-75.148000 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Moved, Labor
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Costantino Nivola page

OY/YO
Deborah Kass, 2022
* idea
* Officially temporarily installed for a year, hopefully longer.
* In front of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. Southeast corner, 5th and Market.
* 39.950400,-75.148840 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+streetsdept.com article about the installation of this piece
+deborahkass.com

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 Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. Southeast corner, 5th and Market.
* 39.950350,-75.148825 [map] [nearby]
* 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

Beacon
FKB, Local Projects, 2021
* big abstract ideas
* inscription: FAITH LIBERTY JUSTICE
* Rising through the roof. The former Faith and Liberty Discovery Center. East side of 5th, North of Market.
* 39.951085,-75.148575 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Religious
* See also:
+localprojects.com page for this piece
+amaricanbible.org article about this piece
+fkb.studio
+localprojects.com

Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy
Gregory Pototsky, 2011
* Statue of, in memory of: Uriah Phillips Levy and James A. Zimble
* small standing person, sword, paper, Star of David and U.S. Navy logo
* inscription:
April 22, 1792 - March 22, 1862
Nissan 30, 5552 - Adar II 20, 5622
"I am an American, a sailor, and a Jew."
Born in Philadelphia in 1792, Uriah Phillips Levy was a fifth generation American. According to family stories, he left for sea at ten years old, returning to celebrate his bar mitzvah here at Congregation Mikveh Israel in 1805. He served with distinction in the U.S. Navy in the War of 1812, and became the first Jewish U.S. Navy Commodore, a rank equivalent to Admiral today.
During his fifty-year naval career, Levy was court martialed six times and killed a man in a duel - all incidents related to rampant anti-Semitism. He was dismissed twice from the U.S. Navy, but was reinstated by Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler. He went on to command the Mediterranean Fleet and was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to the Navy Court Martial Board during the Civil War. Levy played a key role in helping to repeal the flogging of sailors, making the U.S. Navy the first military organization in the world to abolish physical punishment.
Levy greatly admired President Thomas Jefferson and the Bill of Rights he crafted, which safeguarded religious liberties for all Americans. In 1832, he commissioned a statue of Jefferson, which sits in the U.S. Capitol today. In 1834, Levy purchased Monticello, Jefferson's home near Charlottesville, Virginia, which he repaired, restored, and preserved for future generations.
The World War II destroyer escort USS Levy (DE-162) was named in his honor, as were the Uriah P. Levy Jewish Chapel at the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, and the Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Levy is buried at the Beth Olom Cemetery in Queens, New York.
Given with love of God and Country
in memory of Vice Admiral James A. Zimble, MC USN Ret. (1933-2011)
Beloved 30th Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy
Dedicated December 16, 2011, Kislev 20, 5772
Rabbi Aaron Landes, Rear Admiral CHC USN Ret.
Captain Gary "Yuri" Tabach, USN Ret.
Joshua H. Landes
* West side of Mikveh Israel. East side of 5th, North of Market.
* 39.951325,-75.148400 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Religious, War
* See also:
+pototsky.ru
+wikipedia.org's Uriah P. Levy page
+wikipedia.org's James A, Zimble page

Jonathan Netanyahu Memorial
Buky Schwartz, 1986
* Memorial to Jonathan Netanyahu
* abstract forms
* inscription:
Entebbe, Jonathan Netanyahu, July 4, 1976.
They were swifter than eagles, they were faster than lions. The bow of Jonathan turned not back. II Samuel 1.22,23
Jonathan Netanyahu, 1946-1976
* Outside Mikveh Israel. East Side of 5th Street, North of Market, along the walkway between 4th and 5th.
* 39.951115,-75.147760 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Religious, War
* See also:
+Max Buten's picture of this piece
+bukyschwartz.com
+wikipedia.org's Jonathan Netanyahu page

The Seed
Christopher T. Ray, 1976
* big seed
* inscription:
Source: Deuteronomy 8:7-8:11
"...for the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land..."
The Seed symbolizes the generation of creative life in America, the Good Land which has made us welcome. In its roots exist the reminder of our origins and traditions. In the leaves are the elements of continuing growth. From the pod and its emerging flowr comes the promise of the future.
* Entrance. Mikveh Israel. East Side of 5th Street, North of Market, along the walkway between 4th and 5th..
* 39.951175,-75.147550 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+chrisray.com

Gift of the Winds
Joseph C. Bailey, 1978
* abstract form
* Was on the Northeast corner of 5th and Market. Moved between November 2020 and July 2021. The first picture was taken while the area around the original location was being rebuilt. The rest of the pictures are from the new location.
* West of 4th, South of the walkway that runs between 4th and 5th North of Market.
* 39.950925,-75.147400 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Moved
* See also:
+Max Buten's first picture of this piece
+Max Buten's second picture of this piece
+askart.com's Joseph C. Bailey page

Last Resting Place of Benjamin Franklin
* Memorial to and relief bust of (with quotes from) Benjamin Franklin, Honore Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, Anne Robert Jacques Turgot and George Washington
* small head
* inscription:
The last resting place of Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790
"Venerated for benevolence, admired for talent, esteemed for patriotism, beloved for philanthropy"
-Washington
"The sage whom two worlds claimed as their own."
-Mirabeua
"He tore from the skies the lightning and from tyrants the sceptre"
-Turgot

* Fencepost. South side of Arch, just East of 5th.
* 39.952450,-75.148250 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+ushistory.org's The Electric Ben Franklin
+wikipedia.org's Mirabeau page
+wikipedia.org's Turgot page
+wikipedia.org's George Washington page

We the People
Ian Bader, Henry N. Cobb, 2003 (year of building)
* big preamble to the Constitution, sign
* inscription: We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty for the United States of America. to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution
* Wall. Constitution Center. West side of 5th, North of Arch.
* 39.953275,-75.148700 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+pfc-p.com's page for the building
+pfc-p.com's Ian Bader page
+pfc-p.com's Henry N. Cobb page

Bolt of Lightning
Isamu Noguchi, 1984
* Representation of an act of Benjamin Franklin
* big kite, lightening, key
* At the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge. 6th and Vine.
* 39.955450,-75.148750 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+ushistory.org page for this piece
+noguchi.org
+ushistory.org's The Electric Ben Franklin

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]
* Exhibits: Police and Fire Fighters
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Reginald Beauchamp page

Franklin Square Fountain
1838
* abstract fountain
* Center of Franklin Square. Northwest corner, 6th and Race.
* 39.955650,-75.150450 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+phillyhistory.org 1915 picture of the fountain off

Phaedrus
Beverly Pepper, 1976 (also listed as 1977)
* abstract form
* West side of 6th, North of Arch.
* 39.953740,-75.149900 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+beverlypepper.net

Voyage of Ulysses
David von Schlegell, 1977
* Recalling the voyage of Ulysses
* abstract fountain
* On April 24, 2013 the sculptural element was gone and the fountain was base torn up. On March 8, 2014, the sculptural element was back and the fountain base had been replaced.
* Plaza. West side of 6th between Market and Arch, between the James A. Byrne Federal Courthouse the the William J. Green, Jr. Federal Building..
* 39.951875,-75.150500 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+nytimes.com's David von Schlegell obituary
+wikipedia.org's Odysseus/Ulysses 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]
* See also:
+si.edu interview with Louise Nevelson
+wikipedia.org's Louise Nevelson 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]

Indelible
Alison Sky, 2003
* Quotes from Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Chief Joseph, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Yan Phou Lee, Sitting Bull and Harriet Tubman
* words and ideas
* South wall. Independence Visitor Center. Northeast corner, 6th and Market.
* 39.950850,-75.150110 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+artist's page for this piece
+alisonsky.com
+wikipedia.org's Abigail Adams page
+wikipedia.org's Susan B. Anthony page
+wikipedia.org's Chief Joseph page
+wikipedia.org's Thomas Jefferson page
+wikipedia.org's Martin Luther King, Jr. page
+yalealumnimagazine.com article about Yan Phou Lee
+wikipedia.org's Sitting Bull page
+wikipedia.org's Harriet Tubman page

Memorial to Enslaved People of African Descent in the United States of America
2010
* Quotes from Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper and Barack Obama
* enclosed space, ideas
* This piece 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. This memorial does not seem to have an official name. The name used is shortened from the text of the plaque. 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." The last picture, of the wall with the names of the enslaved people who lived in the President's House, is part of the President's House exhibit 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]
* Exhibits: Black Lives, Labor
* See also:
+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