New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-22
THE CITY OF WILLIAM PENN.
NEw puBLIo BuIpING

Sohh OF THE DEcoRATIOSs-THE PROPOSED RE
M0yAL OF PENN's REMAINS FROM ENGLAND.
| lhoM IN OCCASIONAL coIREsl oNDEST IDE TRIBUNE.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 20.--The other day / wen
through the huge public building being erected il
TINS city at the junction of Broad and Market-sts
IL has no parallel for expenslveness in municipal
etructuree EXCEPT the Hotel de Vile in Paris TIL,
chicago public building is also elaborate but much
smaller. The new State House at Albany almos,
deicrs to this great palace of marble Renaissance
Whch strides across the two great thoroughfares OF
the Quaker City, and is said TO occupy ground re-
served by Penn himself for park and public water.
Here many years ago, Latrobe, the architect of the
Federal Capitol, erected the waterworlzs OF Phila-
| delphia. When they Were taken down and removed
TO paramount four green squares were placed at the
| intersection of the Streets On one of the corners
stood the old High School building of which Alex
ander Dallas Bache, the great grandsonof BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN, was long the principal AT another cor
ner stands the Presby terian Church where The Old
Convention OF that sect divided at the brink
of the Rebellion amid tears PRAYERS and some def
ancc. Intense hostility was aroused at the removal
OF The public offices from Independence Hall and the
oio hs OF Congress, and also at the scheme of the
archltect TO close up Market and Broad-s S. instead
Oh leaving them open. However. the political au-
thorIues prevailed and the great building is now so
Tar advanced that it is well-ngh certain to be fn-
lshed III design as it was propOunoed even TO its gi
gahtic tower and the surmounting statue of William
Fenn in his Quaker garments and hat 1t was in
oeed broad burlesque to seek to recover the re-
mains oil that aIniable and prudent Quaker from
Their quiet restingplace in England to deposit them
WITHIN thls elaborate palace. which bears so little
resemblance to anything in his life or teachings
lie building is of white marble and consists of
basement and two stories with third story in the
mansard roof. The central pavilions on each side
OF which there are four, add one other story The
corner pavlhons are treated with pediments and do
NOT rise to the height of the centres The general
design Is Roman Renaissance, in which abutmeuts
sustaining columns which in turn sustain heavy
architecture are prominent. There are sevenfy-six
windows on each of the four fronts each story be-
ing nineteen windows wide and these windows al
though, large occupy little space in the general
lace OF the building that they constitute the first
point OF criticism by outside architects The en-
frances to the building througn the four centres
by exceedingly heavy arches, which, with their cor
rldors, extend quite through the shell of the build
ing ana are most deliberately and sometimes gro
tesquely carved and symbolzed. Within these arches
branch ont the cross halls. In the middle of the
whole is one very large courtyard big enough to
draw up brigade of men in it, and there are two
smaller courts faced with glazed white brick
TO hight some of the interior apartments
The plainness and whiteness of the building.
viewed rom the anterior are pleasant relief from
the coumnar character of the exterior AT the
SOUTH entrance, nearest ChestnutSt, the deep she'll
OF the building Is recessed from the courtyard and
throws forward two round towers ia which are stair
ways reaching up TO the turreted SUBMITS of the
walls. On the opposite side OF the interior a mas
sive salient is thrown forward into the ward above
winch is rising slowly but surely the tremendous
Renaissance tower which it is said will ha,,a TN.
hight of 365 feet. Beneath the tower passes the
principal arch to the courtyard and interior from
the north. Here is TO be found almost the only
cr-r, nli & y. .,l..4..
American Independence. For heavy dwarfed col
umns of polished granite have capitals worked into
groups of lifesize figures representing the aborgi
nal races OF the world, American Indians Negroes
Mongolians and C&ueasians. These clusters of I'm
man forms, embodying half dozen to a dozen each
attract great attention in the ill-lighted covern
where they stand, and the recessed walls .ronp6
them continue this illustration In their c7rvtrua
magnificent series of polished granite co u,nns win
bronze capitals makes the corridor beneath the
tower.
The tower itself develops first. high abova tlo
roof OF the building. stone veranda ut the base of
a tall story IN WHICH are round windows Then
opens the hollow bell cupola aud above It consj6
cradle distance is the great clock tower on which
rises the cpPola or ROOT and William Penn stands
there with his hat on his head and his baeI 10 ne
south regarding his foundation.
In the outer walls OF the central pavions are in
laid numerous alleg Drical sculptures both 81 men
aud implements generally wrought OUT in colossal
size Among these arc allegOries OF History Seencs
Art Light Charity Repentance Ia mild ,,ens,;,
of the Rcbeonl, Botany. Architeefnre sgSl4n
Liberty, Geography, Commerce, Astronomy Panoa'
etc. In the kcySiones of the arches are coiosrai
portrait heads of Ph,ladelphians, which / imagine
10 he Franklin Logan and some Others less wiS@Iy
known. The arch@Ologist has been az some nains ~
hunt up the old worthless of the town and stick than
IN, Boston fashion Among the heads saw in 10
modelling room We're those OF Commodore Nichols
BIddle, Governor Mifiin, Edward 81 pnen t6a |
father of Mrs. Benedict Arnold, BENJAMIN Rnsb
Thomas O. Cope, Robert Morris and William Ra,yle
Philadelphia is now on the eve OF lis two INN
dredlh anniversary, having been OF Tered 10 la -
lied by Penn in the fail of 1881 The next fail |
rem hllnself arrived IA the Delaware and found a
Few houses put up. The excellent brick Of Pbiia-
deiphia W known before Penn's colony was ST /
tied. the Swcdes having baked the CLAW ruS,, a.
site. The very house built bS Pom is s n sfaD1;
m one OF the obscure lanes near the lac nj az tlS
ciy. lie did not come 20 wholly new country az |
the SWedeS and Dutch had been settled along fhe /
Delaware and mp the Schuyll,il tor NJ least forty
years. Several English towns OF substantial an !
learance like burlington and Newcastle existed !
before Penn arrived rs he had bapn pr,yio,,si,, !
instrumental in settling West Jersey Win III, |
quaker constituencies. From their report n he |
came evident that the natural soil and timber ON |
me west side OF the river were better than In
jersey. "
1t is certainly remarkable fame FOR the founder of |
u pIuNihce 20 ach,eFe IN less than two hundred \
years Ilty OF nearly one million people and COM
monwcalth OF four millions. An this WAS dono far
ne nrst century by Penn and his descen : and 80
thorough was the recognition of their services tbot
the insurgent Legislature voted a very lar5e sr, &c
money 10 the propfetors setting uD The Drpsen3
state, and, what - better, paid it without defaica
uon. NO other colony OF all the thirteen paid any |
slch recognition in the of independence Ia ne |
rule. The inheri or of the name az o.
VERT applied IN vain TO the State of Maryland for
some compensation. Most of the other States
chased their governors and proprictors ont of Their
jurisdiction. New-iork, only seven wears affer
Penn started Philadelphia, drove away Govor,,on ,
Dongan the represe ntative of the Dukc az NJ
who was the proprietor. '
The Penns were superior to all other colopizers in
sight of the coming age of individual labor a,6 a.
nIoeracy. me patent of Pennsylvania did NOR, |