Positively Philadelphia: Our City of Little-Known Monuments
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By Lauren Lipton
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- You probably pass by works of art honoring famous people every day in this area, and many of them you know: William Penn, atop City Hall; Frank Rizzo, waving from across the street; and even that fictional prizefighter, Rocky Balboa.
But there are others...
"Don Quixote de La Mancha, delivered in 1996, installed in 1997," notes Allan Heller, author of Monuments and Memorials of Philadelphia. "Erected as a symbol of hope for the area -- it was in an empowerment zone."
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That statue (top photo) stands at Second Street and Girard Avenue.
"It shows the title figure astride his horse, Rocinante, clutching a lance in his right hand, and he has a buckler in his left," Heller says. You really can't miss it. "Joaquin Garcia Donaire did the original in Ciudad Real, Spain. It was a gift from Ciudad Real to Philadelphia."
There's another statue you might pass all the time but never looked at carefully enough...
"The Washington monument, near the art museum; a lot of people don't know that the equestrian situated at the top is George Washington, and it's a shame that it's so tall that it's out of reach of most viewers," Heller says.
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Why did Heller write the book?
"I was inspired to write this book after finishing a similar one about Washington, DC. I thought, 'Why not something closer to home?' And Philadelphia certainly has a lot to offer in the way of monuments."
And, for this week, that's "Positively Philadelphia!"
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