Philadelphia City Hall, Philadelphia

King Charles II owed a hefty sum of money to Admiral Sir William Penn, to wit 16,000 pounds. To discharge the debt, on 4 March 1681, the King signed a charter granting what is now Pennsylvania to the Admiral's son, William. William the Younger was a radical Quaker filled with democratic ideals. He set out for America.

Center Square was one of the original five squares marked out by Penn as the center of his city. It was simply a public square until the building of City Hall in 1871. By that time, it had come to be called Penn Square.

Located at number 1 Penn Square, City Hall was designed by architect John McArthur in the Second Empire style. It was in the process of construction from 1871 until 1901. Upon its completion, the Hall was the world's tallest habitable building.

The City Hall is a masonry building supported by brick and granite walls up to 22 feet thick. The outside walls are mainly limestone, granite, and marble. Sculptor Alexander Milne Calder created over 250 sculptured images of American ideals. With nearly 700 rooms, the Hall is the largest civic building in the country with the tallest clock tower in the world.

The tall clock tower has a clock face on each side. Four bronze eagles are perched above the clocks. A giant bronze statue of William Penn by Calder is at the top of the tower. Beneath the monument is a glass-enclosed observation deck.