46-595: The Erlanger Theatre was a live-performance theater at the northwest corner of 21st and Market Streets in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. It was built in 1927 by Abraham L. Erlanger , theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate . It was demolished in 1978. The Erlanger, which opened on October 23, 1927, with the musical show Criss Cross , was equipped to facilitate multiple venues for both live theater and motion pictures. It
92-637: A subway east of 44th Street and as an elevated line above Market Street, west of there. Independence National Historical Park , home to Independence Hall , Liberty Bell , and National Constitution Center , is located at 5th and Market Streets in the heart of Philadelphia's Old City section. The location, where the Second Continental Congress formed the Continental Army and signed the Declaration of Independence ,
138-476: A bridge over Interstate 95 brings traffic from Penn's Landing , on the western bank of the Delaware River , onto westbound Market Street. Market Street runs one way, eastbound, between 20th Street and 15th Street, with westbound traffic diverted onto JFK Boulevard. As of 2023, the entire length of Market Street is part of Philadelphia's High Injury Network , the small fraction of city streets on which
184-580: A comprehensive exterior restoration, planned and supervised by the Historical Preservation Studio of Vitetta Architects & Engineers, headed by renowned historical preservation architect Hyman Myers. The majority of the restoration was completed by 2007, although some work has continued, including the installation of four new ornamental courtyard gates, based on an original architectural sketch, in December 2015. The building
230-663: A cost of $ 24 million dollars (late 19th century value of American money). The City Hall's tower was completed by 1894, although the interior was not finished until 1901. Designed to be the world's tallest building, it was surpassed during the phase of construction by the Washington Monument (of Washington, D.C.), the Eiffel Tower (in Paris, France), and the Mole Antonelliana . The Mole Antonelliana
276-733: A period of two weeks in June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in a boarding house, known as the Graff or Declaration House, once located at 700 Market Street at the corner of 7th and Market streets. The mansion of Robert Morris , financier of the American Revolution , was located near 6th and Market Streets. This house, known as the President's House , was used by George Washington and John Adams as their residence during their terms as president prior to
322-504: A window overlooks the street. On the same location are the headquarters for Audacy and 94 WIP . Adjacent to Independence Mall is the National Museum of American Jewish History , which relocated to that location in 2010 and occupies the spot once held by CBS 3 and KYW Newsradio 1060 . The Fashion District Philadelphia shopping mall is located on Market Street between 9th and 12th Streets, and Pennsylvania Convention Center
368-470: Is borne by granite and brick walls up to 22 ft (6.7 m) thick. The principal exterior materials are limestone , granite , and marble . The original design called for virtually no sculpture. The stonemason William Struthers and sculptor Alexander Milne Calder were responsible for the more than 250 sculptures, capturing artists, educators, and engineers who embodied American ideals and contributed to this country's genius. The final construction cost
414-411: Is a major east–west highway and street in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, United States. The street is signed as Pennsylvania Route 3 between 38th Street ( U.S. Route 13 ) and 15th Street ( PA 611 ). A short portion of the road continues west from Cobbs Creek Parkway (63rd Street) to Delaware County , adjacent to Philadelphia. The street also serves as the dividing line for the "north" and "south" sides of
460-610: Is adjacent to it. Reading Terminal , the former grand railroad station for the Reading Railroad is located on the northeastern corner of 12th and Market streets. It now serves as the grand entrance to the Pennsylvania Convention Center . The PSFS Building , the first International Style building in the U.S., is at Market and 12th streets. Philadelphia City Hall stands atop Market Street's intersection with Broad Street. Commuters can access
506-526: Is one of the nation's busiest passenber rail stations, and a major Amtrak , intercity, SEPTA Regional Rail , and NJ Transit commuter trains. In the University City section of Philadelphia, Market Street crosses through the campuses of Drexel University and University City Science Center . As a result, the section of Market Street along University City is also signed "Avenue of Technology". Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall
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#1732780842261552-528: Is the birthplace of the United States as a sovereign nation. East of the intersection of Front and Market Streets is an entrance to Penn's Landing on the Delaware River . At 2nd and Market is the historic Christ Church , once the tallest building in North America . Philadelphia television station WTXF-TV 29 ( FOX ) is located at Market Street and 4th Street. A ground-level studio with
598-744: Is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Built in the ornate Second Empire style , City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the offices of the Mayor of Philadelphia . This building is also a courthouse , serving as the seat of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania . It houses the Civil Trial and Orphans' Court Divisions of
644-711: The 2008 World Series , a year and four months after a small William Penn statuette had been affixed to the final steel beam of the Comcast Center during its topping out ceremony in June 2007. Another Penn statuette was placed on the topmost beam of the Comcast Technology Center in November 2017, and the Eagles won the Super Bowl a few months later. City Hall is situated on land that
690-599: The Act of Consolidation in 1854 created the much larger and coterminous city and county of Philadelphia . Though no longer at the exact center of the city, the square remains situated in the center of the historic area between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers; an area which is now called Center City . Penn had intended that Centre Square be the central focus point where the major public buildings would be located, including those for government, religion, and education, as well as
736-662: The Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County . It also houses the Philadelphia facilities for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (which also holds session and accepts filings in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh ). Built using brick, white marble and limestone, Philadelphia City Hall is the world's largest free-standing masonry building and was the world's tallest habitable building upon its completion in 1894. It
782-468: The Market–Frankford Line , Broad Street Line , Subway Surface Lines , and Suburban Station through the 15th Street Headhouse and other access points across from Philadelphia City Hall . One Liberty Place , formerly Philadelphia's tallest building, is located at the southeast corner of 17th and Market Streets. In June 2007, it was surpassed in height by the Comcast Center , located a block to
828-632: The Philadelphia Municipal Court ). It was the tallest clock tower in the world when it was completed; it was surpassed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower in 1912, and is currently the 5th tallest building of this type. The tower features a clock face on each side that is 26 ft (7.9 m) in diameter. The clock faces are larger in diameter than those on Big Ben which measure 23 ft (7 m). City Hall's clock
874-435: The 100-foot (30 m) wide High Street. The city's first market stalls were situated in the center of the thoroughfare starting at Front Street and proceeding west eventually to 8th Street. The stalls soon became covered and were not taken down as planned. Later, additional covered sheds appeared west of Center Square as the city expanded westward. The street began to be called Market Street around 1800. The road's new name
920-549: The 1990s, the statue was partially clothed in a major league sports team 's uniform when they were in contention for a championship: a Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap in 1993 and a Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey team jersey in 1997—both teams lost however. The supposed curse ended 22 years later when the Philadelphia Phillies professional Major League Baseball team in the National League won
966-636: The City Hall block. Between 12th Street and roughly 20th Street, Market Street is heavily commercial, with office skyscrapers rising on both sides. In the past, there was a connection to Camden, New Jersey by ferry. The street continues westward, crossing over the Schuylkill River via the Market Street Bridge , into and through University City and West Philadelphia . SEPTA 's Market–Frankford Line runs along Market Street, as
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#17327808422611012-566: The Erlanger Theatre was adapted for reuse as a restaurant, a night club, a venue for rock shows, and used for Broadway theatre productions. The theatre, by then known as Café Erlanger , was successful socially but not financially, and was closed and quickly demolished in 1978. The site remained vacant until 2008, when the Murano , a condominium skyscraper, was built on the site. Philadelphia theater architects Hoffman-Henon designed
1058-848: The Spanish Lounge, was considered to be magnificent. The Erlanger opened October 23, 1927 with the musical show Criss Cross . The theater was also equipped to show movies. RKO began a lease on September 29, 1929 to show first-run movies. RKO’s first “talkie” motion picture, Street Girl , had its premiere at this theatre. However, the Erlanger was most famous for pre-Broadway musical stage shows such as Guys and Dolls , West Side Story , Man of La Mancha , My Fair Lady and other productions. 39°57′14″N 75°10′31″W / 39.95387°N 75.17514°W / 39.95387; -75.17514 Market Street (Philadelphia) Market Street , originally known as High Street ,
1104-739: The United States and one of the largest in the world. The building houses three branches of government: the city's executive branch (the Mayor 's Office), its legislature (the Philadelphia City Council ), and a substantial portion of the judicial activity in the city (the Civil Division and Orphan's Court of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for the First Judicial District are housed there, as well as chambers for some criminal judges and some judges of
1150-399: The central marketplace. However, the Delaware riverfront would remain the de facto economic and social heart of the city for more than a century. City Hall has been a filming location for several motion pictures including Rocky (1976), Blow Out (1981), Trading Places (1983), Philadelphia (1993), 12 Monkeys (1995), National Treasure (2004), Transformers: Revenge of
1196-486: The city from rising above the hat on the famous William Penn statue, so for decades, the Philadelphia City Hall remained the tallest building in the city until it was surpassed by the skyscraper One Liberty Place in 1986. The abrogation of this municipal agreement in local folklore of the nicknamed Curse of Billy Penn , supposedly brought down a curse onto local professional sports teams. Twice during
1242-506: The city. All north-south addresses in the city start at zero at Market Street. High Street was the familiar name of the principal street in nearly every English town at the time Philadelphia was founded. But if Philadelphia was indebted to England for the name of High Street, nearly every American town is, in turn, indebted to Philadelphia for its Market Street. Long before the city was laid out or settled, Philadelphia's founder, William Penn , had planned that markets would be held regularly on
1288-663: The completion of the White House in 1800. The house was located on the site of the northern part of the present-day Liberty Bell Center . Around 1795, Theophilus Cazenove lived on Market Street. Several important finance and publishing firsts also occurred along Market Street between Second and Fourth Streets during the 18th century. Market Street is still one of the principal locations of business and commerce in Philadelphia. Market Street runs from Millbourne to Front Street in Center City, Philadelphia . At Front Street,
1334-542: The details of his work. But the statue in reality, actually faces to the northeast, towards Penn Treaty Park in the Fishtown section of the city, which commemorates the site where Penn signed a treaty with the local Native American tribe. Pennsbury Manor , Penn's country home in Bucks County, is also located to the northeast. By the terms of a gentlemen's agreement that forbade any other structure later built in
1380-479: The informal gentlemen's agreement that had limited the height of buildings in the city to no higher than the Penn statue. It was constructed over the time span from 1871 to 1901 and includes 700 rooms dedicated for uses of various governmental operations. The building structure used over 88 million bricks and thousands of tons of marble and granite. With almost 700 rooms, City Hall is the largest municipal building in
1426-467: The latest cleaning done in May 2017. Penn's statue is hollow, and a narrow access tunnel through it from beneath in the stone / masonry and steel framing of the clock tower leads to a 22-inch-diameter (56 cm) hatch atop the hat. Artist / sculptor Calder wished the statue to face south towards the Delaware River and Bay , so that its face would be lit by the sun most of the day, and the better to reveal
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1472-410: The majority of traffic deaths and serious injuries occur. Market Street includes a two-way protected bike lane between 15th and 20th Streets and painted bike lanes between 34th and 63rd Streets. Market Street is interrupted between 15th Street and Juniper Street by Philadelphia City Hall , and so technically does not intersect with Broad Street . A pedestrian-only path continues Market Street across
1518-427: The north. June 5th Memorial Park is located at 22nd and Market Street in remembrance of the six people who lost their lives as a result of the collapse of a Salvation Army Thrift Store. The one story building collapsed while full of shoppers due to negligent demolition of the building next door. Fourteen others were injured when trapped under the rubble. 30th Street Station , located at 30th and Market streets,
1564-548: The previous 3,800 years—the Great Pyramid of Giza ; even the Mole Antonelliana was supposed to be a religious building—a synagogue—but then received a different use. The location chosen was one of the five center city urban park squares dedicated by William Penn, that geometrically is the center to the other four squares within Center City renamed as Penn Square. City Hall is a masonry building whose weight
1610-426: The statuary and clocks. Stairs within the tower are only used for emergency exit. The ornamentation of the tower has been simplified; the huge garlands that festooned the top panels of the tower were removed. In the 1950s, the city council investigated tearing down City Hall for a new building elsewhere, but abandoned the plan due to the high cost of the demolition. Beginning in 1992, Philadelphia City Hall underwent
1656-509: The theater. The exterior embodied the Georgian architecture style. The interior had three lobbies, grand stairs, lounges, and a 1,890 seat auditorium. The interior design theme consisted of elaborated decorations, furnished with imported marble, gold leaf, murals, tapestries, crystal chandeliers, crystal mirrors, antique woodwork, hand-wrought ironwork, and elaborate Napoleonic French-inspired furniture. The designated lounge for smoking, known as
1702-401: The tower's four clocks. City Hall's observation deck is located directly below the base of the statue, about 500 ft (150 m) above street level. Once enclosed with chain-link fencing , the observation deck is now enclosed by glass. It is reached in a 6-person elevator whose glass panels allow visitors to see the interior of the iron superstructure that caps the tower and supports
1748-626: Was $ 24 million. At 548 ft (167 m), including the statue of city founder William Penn atop its tower, City Hall was the tallest habitable building in the world from 1894 to 1908. It remained the tallest in Pennsylvania until it was surpassed in 1932 by the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh ; it is now the 16th tallest. It was the tallest in Philadelphia until 1986 when the construction of One Liberty Place surpassed it, ending
1794-538: Was a few feet taller and was the tallest masonry (i.e. without the use of steel) building in the world until 1953. In that year a storm caused the spire to collapse and so the Philadelphia City Hall then became the tallest masonry building in the world (excluding monuments). Upon completion of its tower in 1894, it became the world's tallest habitable building. It was also the first secular building to have this distinction, as all previous world's tallest buildings were religious structures, including European cathedrals and—for
1840-524: Was cast at the Tacony Iron Works of Northeast Philadelphia and hoisted to the top of the tower in fourteen sections in 1894, seven years before the building was declared completed in 1901. The William Penn statue is the tallest atop any building in the world. Despite its lofty perch, the city has mandated that the statue be cleaned about every decade / ten years to remove corrosion and reduce metal deterioration due to weathering , with
1886-563: Was constructed to replace the entertainment gap left by the original Forrest Theatre (demolished in 1927) that was located about 20 blocks southeast on South Broad Street . Originally, Abraham Lincoln Erlanger and the Shubert Organization were working together, but the two theater operators went their separate ways and the Shubert Organization built a new Forrest Theatre on Walnut Street . Starting in 1968,
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1932-538: Was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976; in 2006, it was also named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers . The building was designed by Scottish-born architect John McArthur Jr. (1823–1890), and Thomas Ustick Walter (1804–1887). in the French Second Empire style of architecture, and was constructed from 1871 to 1901 at
1978-509: Was designed by Warren Johnson and built in 1898. The 1937 Philadelphia Guide noted that "shortly after the clock was installed the city inaugurated a custom which still continues. Every evening at three minutes of nine the tower lights are turned off, and then turned on again on the hour. This enables those within observation distance, though unable to see the hands, to set their timepieces. There are four bronze eagles, each weighing three tons with 12 ft (3.7 m) wingspans, perched above
2024-553: Was made official by an ordinance in 1858, coincidentally just a year before the market sheds were ordered removed. Market Street has been called the most historic highway in the United States because of the various historic sites along its eastern section. Many of Benjamin Franklin 's activities were centered along Market Street. His house was located near the intersection of Fourth Street, and he may have performed his famous kite-flying experiment near Third and Market Streets. Over
2070-403: Was reserved as a public square upon the city's founding in 1682. Originally known as Centre Square—later renamed Penn Square —it was used for public gatherings until the construction of City Hall began in 1871. Centre Square was one of the five original squares of Philadelphia laid out on the city grid by William Penn . The square had been located at the geographic center of Penn's city plan, but
2116-506: Was voted 21st on the American Institute of Architects ' list of Americans' 150 favorite U.S. structures in 2007. The center of municipal government building is topped by a 37 ft (11 m) bronze statue weighing 53,348 lb (24,198 kg) of state and city founder William Penn (1644–1718), one of the 250 sculptures created by Alexander Milne Calder (1846–1923), that adorn the building inside and out. The statue
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