A century-long standoff over the city's loftiest view

Welcome to Philly, chum! See the city's feather-do dance-ready bronze fella - William Penn, the founding chap of Pennsylvania, sculpted in 1894 by Alexander Milne Calder and perched atop the Philadelphia City Hall. This chap's been strutting his stuff for over a century. So what gives? Well, it's a Philly-thing, you know? For nearly 90 years, no building dared to outdo Penn's lofty hat, or at least that's what they say. Now, things have gotten a bit fancier with the One Liberty Place and Two Liberty Place shooting above the hat in 1985, reshaping the city's silhouette.

Yet, old Bill's being as stiff as a board, even before he found his spot! The city's Public Buildings Commission had a reason to dig its heels in, as they set old Bill's gaze towards the northeast – not the original plan crafted by our dear Calder. Nowadays, a replica of our quirky statue can be found in Welcome Park, while the National Park Service is looking to give our sturdy fella a facelift by 2024. What's next for our sassy statue, huh?

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons