Around Old City

Bike and Walking Friendly

2 miles One Way

Loading map...

Old City, the historic heart of Philadelphia, is considered the birthplace of American democracy. Many of the monuments and installations in this area reflect the complex stories of our nation’s past, all within walking distance of iconic landmarks like Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

Indelible

(2003)

by Alison Sky (1946 - )

Independence Visitor Center, south side exterior, 6th and Market Streets

Installed on the south side exterior of Philadelphia’s Independence Visitor’s Center, Alison Sky’s “Indelible” is a site-specific, narrative work intended to create awareness about American history that has gone undisclosed.

The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation

(2010)

by Emanuel Kelly , Kelly/Maiello Architects , Lorene Cary (b. 1956), Louis Massiah

Independence Mall, 6th and Market Streets

The commemorative site pays homage to nine documented enslaved persons of African descent who were part of the Washington household, and addresses the topic of slavery in the early history of the United States.

Religious Liberty

(1876)

by Sir Moses Jacob Ezekiel (1844 - 1917)

Near National Museum of American Jewish History, 55 North 5th Street

“Religious Liberty” was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1876, in Fairmount Park and later relocated by the B’nai B’rith in 1984 to a site near the National Museum of American Jewish History and the Liberty Bell.

Gift of the Winds

(1978)

by Joseph C. Bailey (1937 - 1994)

Garden path next to Faith and Liberty Discovery Center, between 4th and 5th Streets and north of Market Street

In this work, commissioned for the entrance of a bank building as part of the Redevelopment Authority’s 1% program, Bailey wanted to link the geometry of the architecture with the park-like setting of nearby Independence Mall.

Ghost Structures

(1976)

by VSBA (formerly Venturi, Rauch and Scott Brown)

Franklin Court at Independence National Historical Park, 312–322 Market Street

The National Park Service engaged the Philadelphia architectural firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates (formerly Venturi and Rauch) to develop a plan to convert Benjamin Franklin’s properties into a memorial.

Tamanend

(1994)

by Raymond Sandoval (b. 1958)

Historic East Market Street, Front and Market Streets

Chief Tamanend, with a welcoming outstretched arm, stands atop a turtle while an eagle with a wampum belt in its grasp is perched on his shoulder.

Keys To Community

(2003)

by James Peniston (b. 1973)

Girard Fountain Park, Arch Street between 3rd and 4th Streets

A nine-foot bronze bust with over 1,000 keys worked into the surface that portrays Benjamin Franklin turning to greet a visitor.

Bolt of Lightning. . . A Memorial to Benjamin Franklin

(1984)

by Isamu Noguchi (1904 - 1988)

Monument Plaza, Base of Benjamin Franklin Bridge, near 6th and Vine Streets

The 58-ton Bolt of Lightning refers to the famous experiment in which Franklin flew a kite in an electrical storm.

Phaedrus

(1974)

by Beverly Pepper (1922 - 2020)

Federal Reserve Bank, 100 North 6th Street

A 12-ton sculpture at the Federal Reserve Bank building that thrusts from the ground at an implausible, gravity-defying angle.

White Cascade

(1976)

by Alexander "Sandy" Calder (1898 - 1976)

Federal Reserve Bank (interior), 100 North 6th Street; security check-in required to view this sculpture

Considered the world’s largest mobile, Alexander “Sandy” Calder’s White Cascade revolves slowly in the vast atrium of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Balance

(2009)

by Jill Sablosky (b. 1954)

100 North Independence Mall West (7th Street and Appletree Street)

The 500 square foot sculptural seating arrangement – or “outdoor room” as the artist describes it – is made up of multiple pieces of granite, marble, and red sandstone that form the shape of the infinity symbol and are punctuated at both ends by rectangular columns.

Nesaika

(1976)

by John Rhoden (1918 - 2001)

African American Museum in Philadelphia, 7th and Arch Streets

An official project of the bicentennial celebration, Philadelphia’s Museum of African American history and culture opened to the public in 1976, a few days after the unveiling of John Rhoden’s Nesaika.

Whispering Bells: A Tribute to Crispus Attucks

(1976)

by Reginald Beauchamp (1906 - 2000)

African American Museum in Philadelphia, northwest corner of 7th and Arch Streets

A tribute to Crispus Attucks, the first American to die in the cause of national independence, the 13 “whispering” bells represent the original 13 colonies.

Voyage of Ulysses

(c. 1977)

by David von Schlegell (1920-1992)

Plaza of James A. Byrne Federal Courthouse and William J. Green, Jr., Federal Building, 6th Street between Market and Arch Streets

David von Schlegell’s design features diagonal lines to counter the verticality of the nearby architecture. In basic shape “Voyage of Ulysses” resembles a sail, but its appearance varies from difference perspectives.

Bicentennial Dawn

(1976)

by Louise Nevelson (1899 - 1988)

James A. Byrne Federal Courthouse (interior), 601 Market Street; Hours: 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., M–F; security check-in required

Commissioned by the General Service Administration’s Art in Architecture program, this Louise Nevelson sculpture was dedicated during an elaborate reception in January 1976, at the dawn of the bicentennial year.

Milkweed Pod

(1965)

by Clark B. Fitz-Gerald (1917-2004)

Courtyard, Rohm and Haas Building, 6th and Market Streets

The copper and stainless steel Milkweed Pod combines a natural image – the release of milkweed into a breeze – with formal, geometric elements.

Woman Looking Through a Window

(1980)

by George Segal (1924 - 2000)

615 Chestnut Street

Peering through her window, partially hidden behind the shade, a woman studies the passersby. Her arms are folded, and she appears to have been standing there for some time.

Benjamin Franklin

(1860)

by Joseph A. Bailly (1825 - 1883)

Interior of the Public Ledger Building, 6th and Chestnut Streets

Joseph A. Bailly’s stone and marble Benjamin Franklin is a tribute to Franklin’s activities as a journalist and a statesman.

The Dream Garden

(1914 – 1915)

by Maxfield Frederick Parrish (1870 - 1966)

Curtis Building lobby (interior), 6th and Walnut Streets, entrance on 6th Street; Hours 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., M–F

The second largest Tiffany mosaic in the world, this mural is composed of hundreds of thousands of glass tesserae in more than 260 color tones, weighing in excess of four tons.