Ride To The Deck Beneath William Penn

Philadelphia City Hall was completed in 1901 as the largest municipal building in the country, its Second Empire walls of granite and marble filling the square where Broad and Market Streets cross in Center City. A 37-foot bronze statue of William Penn, sculpted by Alexander Milne Calder, caps the tower more than 500 feet up.

A compact elevator climbs the tower to a glassed observation deck just beneath Penn's feet, where the view opens 360 degrees across the grid Penn himself laid out in the 1680s. Tickets are timed, and the ride runs on weekdays through the working building.

Below the tower, the courtyard and carved facades reward a slow loop, and guided interior tours cover the ceremonial rooms and the building's long construction.