Debonair David: Philadelphia

~I've been in downtown Philadelphia lately, and took a few pictures around the area:

The impressive front of Philadelphia City Hall. The largest municipal building in the world, it was built in the late 19th century and is the world's tallest masonry building (at 548'), constructed of brick and granite walls without a steel frame.

City Hall from another angle, showing the spire at the top.

A statue of John F. Reynolds, a Union general who died in the Battle of Gettysburg. I wanted to take a picture of the more dramatic other side, but it was in shadow and my flash didn't go that far -- the statue is surprisingly tall.

Continuing on the subject of Generals, here's a bronze plaque inside City Hall commemorating General Smedley Butler, a two-time Medal of Honor recipient who fought in conflicts across the world in the first half of the 20th century. He left the marines to become Director of Public Safety for Philadelphia, in charge of the police and fire departments, and was charged with cleaning up the notoriously corrupt police force. He later said, "cleaning up Philadelphia was worse than any battle I was ever in."

Today, Butler is perhaps best known for his 1933 speech War is a Racket, in which he denounced many of the military interventions he was deployed to as serving a profit motive for well-connected business interests, rather than security or liberty. The essay is well worth reading and remains disturbingly relevant.

Sculptures on top of a column under City Hall.

More sculptures. I love the elephant head!

A bear, I assume.

Entrance of the Masonic Temple near City Hall. The temple was finished around the year 1900 and is a National Historic Landmark.

A statue of Benjamin Franklin, across the street from city hall.

This bizarre statue is located near the Benjamin Franklin statue, and is titled "Government of the People". For an explanation of what it represents, see here: http://associationforpublicart.org/interactive-art-map/government-of-the-people.