Marble facing covers the first 338 feet of the exterior. In 1990,
a $24.5 million restoration was completed on the cast-iron
skin that protects the top 210 feet of the tower. With the help
of a complex scaffold system 338 feet above ground, each of
the 4,000 cast-iron plates was removed and replaced. A novel
method of electroplating produced 2,000 new larger steel
plates that were installed, reducing the amount of joints and
impeding the rusting process.
The statue of William Penn, designed by Alexander Milne
Calder and cast at the Tacony Iron & Metal Works in 47
pieces, also received special restoration attention. The statue
was hosed with a water cannon, treated with a chemical and
then waxed. The 37-foot, 27-ton sculpture is the largest to
decorate the top of any building in the world. Visible from the
observation deck are the extraordinary details. William Penn’s
shirt ruffles are exquisitely formed on the statue and the words
are inscribed on the Charter of Pennsylvania held in his left
hand. Penn faces the northeast riverfront site where he signed
the treaty of friendship with the Lenape Indians in 1682.
Calder also designed the 3-ton bronze eagles, which flex
their 12-foot wingspan above each of the four clocks on the
tower, and the 26-foot bronze figures of Native American and
Swedish settlers on the pedestals at the corners. Check your
watch against the clocks, which began ticking on New Year’s
Day, 1899. The four faces are 26 feet in diameter, each
minute hand is 15 feet long and each hour hand is 12 ½ feet
long. The clocks were originally lit by 552 light bulbs;
however, specially coated modern fluorescent fixtures now
provide a golden glow.
Until 1987, a “gentlemen’s agreement” prevented any Center
City Philadelphia building from rising above the statue of
William Penn. In that year, Mayor W. Wilson Goode endorsed
the development of One Liberty Place, the first building to top
City Hall by more then 400 feet. Throughout its more than 100
year history, Philadelphians have had a love-hate relationship
with City Hall. Although many admire the display of high
Victorian picturesque eclecticism, there have been numerous
plans to demolish the building. Fortunately, City Hall has
survived these attempts and today fulfills William Penn’s
original wish that “Centre Square” be the location of a
building for public concerns.
Welcome to City Hall. Enjoy the architectural and sculptural
achievements, and take in the commanding view of William
Penn’s “Holy Experiment.”
CIT Y H A L L V I S I TOR C EN T ER
OPEN M ON DAY – FR I DAY
9 A.M. – 4 : 3 0 P. M .
215-68 6 - 2 8 4 0
CITY HALL VISITOR CENTER
The City Hall Visitor Center is located in Room 121 in the East
Portal corridor, near the courtyard. Purchase tickets for the City
Hall Tower and Interior Tour at the City Hall Visitor Center.
Browse through our archival exhibit, pick up visitor
information, including brochures and maps, and purchase
Philadelphia souvenirs from the gift shop.The City Hall Visitor
Center is open Monday­—Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All
tours begin at the Visitor Center.
E N G LIS H V E R S IO N
CITY HALL INTERIOR TOUR
The Interior Tour is given Monday—Friday starting at 12:30 p.m.
and begins at the City Hall Visitor Center, Room 121. The tour is
approximately 1½ to 2 hours. Rooms visited include the
Mayor’s Reception Room, Conversation Hall, City Council
Chambers and Caucus rooms, and the courtroom used by the
State Supreme Court when they are in Philadelphia. The tour
concludes with a visit of the Tower and observation deck.
CITY HALL TOWER TOUR
The Tower and observation deck are open Monday—Friday,
9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Timed-tickets are sold at the City Hall
Visitor Center. The elevator that must be used in order to
access the observation deck leaves every 15-minutes and
accommodates four adults. The hours of 9:30 a.m.—12:00
p.m. are often reserved for group tours. Please check for
availability by calling (215) 686-2840 or visit the City Hall
Visitor Center.
To reach the Tower after you have purchased your tickets at
the Visitor Center, enter City Hall at the northeast corner, take
an elevator to the seventh floor, follow the red lines on the floor
to the escalator, which will take you to the ninth floor exhibit
room and the elevator departure point.
PRICE DETAILS
Adult
Senior (over 65)
Student/Youth
Military
Child (under 3)
Group Rate
Interior
$12.00
$8.00
$8.00
$8.00
Free
Call
Tower Only
$6.00
$4.00
$4.00
$4.00
Free
Call
Photo Provided by: City of Philadelphia
Reservations can be made the day you wish to visit.
For more information, to make a reservation, or to arrange a
group tour of City Hall call (215) 686-2840.
B ro ad & M ar ket S t reet s
( 215 ) 6 8 6 - 2 8 4 0
w w w. P H Lv i s i to rc enter. c o m / Ci t y H al l
EXPLORE CITY HALL
Philadelphia’s City Hall touches people’s lives. Citizens go
to City Hall to secure marriage licenses, probate wills and
register to vote. Not only is City Hall a building used by local
citizens, visitors from around the world are also welcome to
explore Philadelphia’s historic treasure by taking a guided tour
of its interior and experiencing the open-air observation deck
at the top of the City Hall Tower.
Photo Provided by: B. Krist, Visit Philadelphia™
HISTORY OF CITY HALL
Since its completion 30 years after construction began in
1871, City Hall has dominated the Center City panorama.
City Hall was constructed on Penn’s Square, one of William
Penn’s original five planned parks, and was the true center of
the original city. Architect John McArthur, Jr. intended for the
ornate building to be the tallest structure in the world at 548
feet, but it never held that distinction; the Eiffel Tower in Paris
and the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia
were completed prior to City Hall. City Hall instead was
given the distinction of being the tallest occupied structure
in the U.S. until 1909. The building is still the world’s highest
masonry load-bearing structure consisting of 88 million bricks
and thousands of tons of marble and granite.
The Interior Tour of City Hall includes a view of the building’s
grandest and most important rooms. City Hall is the headquarters for the local government offices of Philadelphia. The structure of Philadelphia’s municipal government is modeled after
the federal government and is comprised of three branches:
Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
The Executive Branch: The second floor of City Hall houses
the Mayor’s offices and the stately Mayor’s Reception Room
(Room 202). The Mayor’s Reception Room acts as the
official ceremonial center of City Hall. Portraits of many of
Philadelphia’s former Mayors line the walls, framed by a
magnificent ceiling and lit by an elaborate 8-foot chandelier.
The voluminous Conversation Hall is a wonderful example of
a major restoration project. Hear how this beautiful two-story
space was originally a five-story room.
City Hall is perhaps the nation’s largest and most elaborate
seat of municipal government. It is the finest American
example of the French Second Empire architecture widely
used in turn of the century public buildings.
City Hall boasts the most comprehensive sculptural decoration
of any American building. Alexander Milne Calder designed over
250 sculptures including the statue of William Penn, which
stands atop the tower. Calder fashioned people and animals
of the world, educators, artists and engineers out of stone “to
express American ideals and develop American genius.” There
are three generations of Calder family artists found along the
Benjamin Franklin Parkway: his son designed the Swann Fountain in Logan Circle and his grandson’s famous mobile hangs at
the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
No other building in Philadelphia matches City Hall’s
exuberance of design, and until 1987 no building exceeded
its height. Although a corridor of sleek skyscrapers now
competes for attention along the skyline, this National Historic
Landmark still inspires onlookers.
Photo Provided by: Rika S., City Council Chambers at City Hall
The Legislative Branch: The 17 elected members of City
Council meet every Thursday in the Council Chambers. The
president’s chair is surrounded by a marble arch with
mother-of-pearl and Tiffany glass inlay. Above is a beautifully
painted ceiling. Eight alabaster chandeliers hang beneath the
visitor gallery. In the Council Caucus Room, stone carvings
depict the four seasons and the ages of life. A magnificent
domed ceiling with a huge brass and glass chandelier
highlights the room.
The Judicial Branch: The Court of Common Pleas uses 30
courtrooms for civil trials. A large bench crafted of onyx
stone and wood sets the stage for the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court, which hears appeals in Room 454. The
nation’s oldest high appellate court, the Supreme Court,
operates on a circuit basis and rotates between Philadelphia,
Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
There are additional features of City Hall highlighted in the
Interior Tour. The cantilevered stairways in the corner
entrances each contain 156 steps. A technological marvel,
each flight is fashioned from a single, self-supporting granite
slab. The wide corridors, which sweep around each floor, are
artworks in themselves; look for examples of original polished
granite and marble, hand-carved woodwork, wrought and
cast-iron grilles, tiled wainscoting and painted ceilings. The
vaulted second floor ceiling outside Rooms 201 and 202
reveals examples of original hand-stenciled designs.
Photo Provided by: Rika S., City Council Caucus Room at City Hall
The City Hall Tower Tour offers a panoramic bird’s-eye view
of Philadelphia and its landscape. Before the elevator ascent
to the observation deck, you’ll have a chance to view an
introductory exhibit on City Hall.
At 548 feet, the City Hall Tower is supported not by a steel
frame but by brick walls, which are 27 feet thick at their base.