


CITY HALL - PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

City Hall tower, completed in 1894, marks the close of&amp;#8230;an era fraught with national conflicts and marked by rapid industrial development. Rising 547 feet, it was at the time of its completion the tallest tower in the country with the exception of the Washington Monument, which is about eight feet taller.
It is surmounted by a huge, bronze statue of William Penn contemplating from on high the cold gray of his once quaint and charming red brick &amp;#8220;towne.&amp;#8221; The tower itself is an epitaph to the age of masonry. Even while it was being erected, advances in the technique of steel and concrete construction were pointing the way to a new architecture. &amp;#8230;
The four-faced tower clock, a colossal mechanism with illuminated dials which are visible for a great distance, has been Philadelphia&amp;#8217;s official timepiece since 1899. 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.
&amp;#8212; Philadelphia, A Guide To the Nation&amp;#8217;s Birthplace (WPA, 1937)

This picture is of one of my favorite buildings in Philly. City Hall is honestly one of those buildings that make you stop and stare.
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Joe Schaefer was&nbsp;born and raised in New Jersey but now studies Film and Photojournalism at Temple University. Most of his photography is based around Philadelphia and other parts of Pennsylvania. Follow him on Tumblr at joeschaeferphotography.tumblr.com and find him on Twitter and YouTube.

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