Philadelphia+City+Hall--Effects+on+the+Growth+of+Philadelphia

= **Philadelphia City Hall and its effect on the growth of Philadelphia** =
 * ====**Contents:**====
 * ======Abstract======
 * Introduction
 * Reason for Building
 * ======Planning (Social Construction)======
 * ======Construction======
 * ======Effects on Philadelphia======
 * ======Present Use======
 * ======References====== ||

Abstract
In the past, the largest buildings in a town were generally places of worship. Since most people were there just during times of services these structures did not have to be extremely large, and were usually only made so large because it would increase its grandeur and become the center of town life. However, in Philadelphia, William Penn envisioned a center to the city that would be utilized by everyone. This resulted in the huge Philadelphia City Hall. It was the worlds largest habitable building from 1901-1908. This building held the city government and quickly became the hub of Philadelphia life. This set the standard for large buildings being the most important. However, masonry has its limits in construction and it became difficult to bypass City Hall with the current building techniques. This led to the development of new materials and techniques to create taller buildings to rival the height of city hall.

This wiki explores the techniques that allowed City Hall to stand higher then any other building in the world and also see’s how its building affected how other buildings were made. The wiki will also show that the building of the Philadelphia City Hall forced builders to create new methods to make buildings taller and that City Hall was distinct in its construction from other masonry buildings of its time.

Introduction
Technology is defined by Dictionary.com as “the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science”. This definition is very broad and can therefore describe many things in the world. Based on this definition, the Philadelphia City Hall building is a technology. The building itself was created to be both long-lasting and grand, while still being useful to its occupants. It was created by the work of architects, engineers, artists, and more to accomplish this task and changed the face of Philadelphian society.



Reason for Building
The Philadelphia City Hall building was built for many reasons. The first of which was to bring Philadelphian life back to the city. Since its founding, Philadelphia has been growing outward and expanding. Because of this, many jobs sprouted up closer and closer to the outer edges of the city and the suburbs. Officials wanted to bring jobs back to the city and figured that placing City Hall in the heart of downtown would force people working for the city to come downtown and increase the number of people that lived there to avoid long commutes. This would theoretically increase the amount of businesses that were needed to support these workers, such as food and clothing stores, and help the local economy. The building was also placed on the intersection of market and broad to be at the junction of the two major roads in the city and therefore be easiest to access. City officials also hoped that this would help develop the waterfront district of the city as well. Secondly, officials wanted an impressive building to increase tourism in Philadelphia and showcase the cities rich history. Lastly, the building was built to be the tallest building in the world. The thinking behind this was that the city with the resources and will to build the tallest building in the world would also be the most important city in the world and therefore increase Philadelphia’s importance.

Planning (Social Construction)
The Philadelphia City Hall building was designed by several architects. These include John McArthur, John Ord, and W. Bleddyn Powell. It is located at the intersection of Broad and Market streets at what used to be Penn Square. McArthur originally wanted Independence square to build, but was turned down by City Counsel and had to settle for his second choice. However, this site was great because it stands on the two main streets of the city and therefore allows more access to the building. It is also not very far from the waterfront and would help promote growth in that area of the city. This placement coincidentally put the building at the perfect spot for a subway station. This is the site where riders can switch from the broad line to the market line and is also allows access to the trolleys. These lines allow even more people to commute easily to the building and making it the central hub of the city. Like with many important issues, the building of City Hall was scrutinized and controversial. The building is one of the most expensive municipal buildings created (after taking in account inflation rates) and has cost the city millions in keeping it updated with the newest technology and building codes. The cost of the building in 1891 was predicted to be about 24 million dollars, a price that would be roughly 6 billion dollars in present day due to inflation. Because of this, many Philadelphians argue that this building was not worth the price and should be demolished or replaced with a modern building to cut future costs. However, the cost of demolishing the building would be too great to justify the demolition and the building became a historical landmark in 1976 and is still protected because of this. The building is made of granite and brick and is the tallest masonry structure in the world. It was built in the time before steel skeletons allowed skyscrapers to reach unprecedented heights. This task was done almost by sheer will, including 22 feet thick walls at the base of the building to bear all the weight. These walls and building techniques contributed heavily to the price tag on the building.

Construction
The Philadelphia City Hall was constructed between 1871 and 1901 and cost the city roughly 24 million dollars to build, which is nearly 6 bi llion dollars today after inflation. The Commission for the erection of Public Buildings was created by the state to build the structure. Along with its architects and the Commission, Alexander Milne Calder was appointed to create the statues and adornments on the building, including the famous William Penn statue at the top. Built in the French Second Empire style, City Hall is supported by its 22 feet thick granite and brick walls instead of the now popular steel frames of present day skyscrapers. At 548 feet, it is the tallest masonry structure in the world, which is only possible due to its incredibly thick and expensive walls.

Effects on Social and Historical Aspects of Philadelphia
The construction of the City Hall had both positive and negative effects on the city. First, this building became the home to large amounts of office space for the city which allowed municipal companies to work out of it. This moved jobs to the city and concentrated them at the heart. This invigorated the city because many people opted to live closer to the city in order to be able to get to work easily. So rather then spreading out into further and further away suburbs, the city regained a hold on workers. Its construction also brought attention to the city for having the world’s largest building. This increased tourism and helped improve the economy in an already historic city. Unfortunately, its construction also showed the extent of masonry for building large structures. Extremely thick walls took up too much space, were heavy, difficult to build, and incredibly expensive. Because of this, builders realized that they must use different materials to build if they were to surpass the height of city hall without breaking the bank. From this realization, the use of steel frames became more popular with ever increasing amounts of easily accessible cheap steel. While this steel became available shortly after the construction of city hall, no building in Philadelphia surpassed its height until 1987. This was because of a “gentleman’s agreement” that forbade anyone to build higher than William Penn’s statue, possibly to keep City Hall as the focal point of the city. However, in 1987 One Liberty Place was built taller than City Hall and became the new tallest building in Philadelphia. Many Philadelphians believe that breaking the gentleman’s agreement is the reason that no major-league Philadelphia sports team had won a championship One Liberty Place’s construction, until the Phillies did it in 2008. The statue of William Penn on top has been dressed in sports team’s uniforms when a Philadelphia team came close to winning a championship and helps bring pride to the city. Also, the building has a clock in its tower to serve the public by showing the time. This allowed Philadelphians to set their watches in the past so that everyone would have an accurate time.

Records
Philadelphia City Hall
 * Is the worlds tallest masonry building
 * Was the worlds tallest habitable building from 1901-1908
 * Is the Countries largest municipal building

Present Use of this Technology
Today Philadelphia City Hall still serves the same basic purposes as it did at its completion in 1901. It houses the three branches of government for the city and also holds many offices for politicians and public workers alike. It also sits atop the 15th street/ City Hall subway stop. This station provides free transfer between the market and broad street lines and is a critical junction for passengers. There are also historical tours that are given that allow visitors to see large amounts of the building and its statues. However, visitors cannot go to the top of William Penn’s statue. It is currently being restored because it was underfunded for too many years and now needs to be brought up to code and cleaned. The question comes up whether or not Philadelphia City Hall is still a modern technology. Using the definition of technology defined in the introduction, it still is. City Hall was created over a span of 30 years by building techniques at the time and interjects into several aspects of Philadelphian life. It directly affects the people that work in it, since without it they would have to relocate their offices or get a different job. Also, society is affected since it holds space for courts, mayor, and city counsel. This means that many important laws and decisions are made here that affect Philadelphians. Also, it is the home of an important subway stop that thousands of people use each day. The building continues to draw upon the arts and sciences to keep it relevant in modern times. It is constantly being upgraded with anything from elevators to more efficient lights and wiring. It is also still a incredibly artistic place due to its collection of over 250 sculptures and reliefs including its crown jewel, the 37 foot tall William Penn Statue. Because of the buildings usefulness and historical significance it will be used until it can no longer function. And even then, it may be a very long time until it can be replaced because of the high cost of demolishing the building. With its strong ties to many aspects of Philadelphians life this building is still an important technology to many, for without it their lives would be drastically different.