The Skyline Of Philadelphia Since The Late 70s

[Markxxx]

I was searching for Maureen McGovern, anyway I came across a YouTube video which has the opening theme song form the show **Angie **, the first season, which was song by Maureen McGovern. (See I’m gonna tell you the WHOLE story right :))

Anyway one of the commentors wrote, along the lines that Philadelphia now has a skyline and it didn’t back then.

This show was from the late 70s. Here’s the link to the Angie Theme Video

As I watch the video you can see the background of Philadelphia and it is indeed very flat not like most million plus cities.

So my question (finally is) what changed? Did they have a law prohibiting buildings or did someone just decided to build big building after the 1970s ended?

[BorgHunter]

I only happen to know the answer to this because I’m a sports fan, but there was a generally held belief that no building should rise above the statue of William Penn atop Philadelphia City Hall. And, indeed, no building that did was constructed until 1987, the canonical beginning of the Curse of Billy Penn.

[DxZero]

There was an informal gentleman’s agreement that no building would be approved if it was higher than the Billy Penn statue on top of city hall.. That ended in 1987 when One Liberty Placewas built. Since then there’s a been of slew of skyscrapers built, including the new highest building, The Comcast Center.

So now the skyline looks like any other major city.

[DocCathode]

@BorgHunter

I only happen to know the answer to this because I’m a sports fan, but there was a generally held belief that no building should rise above the statue of William Penn atop Philadelphia City Hall. And, indeed, no building that did was constructed until 1987, the canonical beginning of the Curse of Billy Penn.

Note that the Comcast Center has a two foot statue of William Penn (either on the roof or placed on top of the highest cross beam- I can’t recall which) so that it is technically lower than he is. This is not some UL I heard somewhere. The statue was shown in a story I saw on the evening news of the local NBC affiliate.

[twickster]

@DocCathode

Note that the Comcast Center has a two foot statue of William Penn (either on the roof or placed on top of the highest cross beam- I can’t recall which) so that it is technically lower than he is. This is not some UL I heard somewhere. The statue was shown in a story I saw on the evening news of the local NBC affiliate.

… around the time the Phills won the World Series.

[NinjaChick]

@DocCathode

Note that the Comcast Center has a two foot statue of William Penn (either on the roof or placed on top of the highest cross beam- I can’t recall which) so that it is technically lower than he is. This is not some UL I heard somewhere. The statue was shown in a story I saw on the evening news of the local NBC affiliate.

They put a little statue up on the highest crossbeam, as soon as it was in place. That was in spring or summer 2007, and now that he could see again, Billy Penn smiled upon his beloved Phillies and granted them some well-earned glory and victory in their next full season.

(Note: I’m pretty much the least superstitious person in the world, but I am from Philly and I am a serious Phillies fan, and when you look at the data, it is a rather spooky coincidence.)