Philly's William Penn Statue Getting A Six-Week Cleaning
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--The William Penn Statue has sat perched atop Philadelphia's City Hall for more than 124 years. Now it's surrounded by scaffolding.
"What do you think is going on with the statue?" asked CBS3's Greg Argos.
"I imagine they're repairing William Penn," said one person near City Hall.
"I'm from Australia, so I have no idea what's going on up there," said another visitor.
In fact, the William Penn Statue is getting a much needed cleaning. The last time it was cleaned was in 2007. Philadelphia Office of Arts Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) are paying for the six week cleanup. New Jersey based Moorland Studios is in charge of the cleanup.
According to a spokesperson for the OACCE, workers will first clean the exterior of the structure, then repair and cracks before coating and buffing the 37-foot bronze statue.
"I'm definitely going to be taking a picture then, and add it to my Instagram," said one man.
"I think it's a very good thing because he's an icon for the city and we want him nice and clean and we want him to last a very long time," said another passerby.
The total cost of the project is more than $270,000.
