William Penn statue atop Philadelphia City Hall

A 37-foot-tall bronze statue of William Penn by sculptor Alexander Milne Calder crowns Philadelphia City Hall; it was installed in 1894 and is the building’s most prominent sculptural feature. For much of the 20th century a civic agreement discouraged buildings taller than the statue, a practice that ended with the construction of One Liberty Place in 1987. Folklore about a so-called “curse of Billy Penn” linking the statue’s height to local sports championship droughts is debated and not a documented cause of team performance.