Over 450 feet above the street, on top of this building is housed a 17-ton bell. It rings on the hour, nowadays from 7 AM to 10 PM, in a low D bass clef. It was installed in 1925 when the building was a part of the Wanamaker's department store. It was manufactured in the United Kingdom. There is an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/5/13, starting at p. B1, about the bell being out of commission presently for repairs to the striking mechanism. There is also a good history of the building on Wikipedia.
| Publication date | Jun 24, 2018 |
| Neighborhood |
Over 450 feet above the street, on top of this building is housed a 17-ton bell. It rings on the hour, nowadays from 7 AM to 10 PM, in a low D bass clef. It was installed in 1925 when the building was a part of the Wanamaker's department store. It was manufactured in the United Kingdom. There is an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/5/13, starting at p. B1, about the bell being out of commission presently for repairs to the striking mechanism. There is also a good history of the building on Wikipedia.
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Email : sjkc0072@aol.com
Comments : In an article in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer about fixing the crack in the Liberty Bell, by Joseph N. Distefano, pp. E1, 4, it states, "A heavier 'Founder's Bell' still marks time, at One South Broad Street, the old John Wanamaker men's store (later PNB). It rang all hours, but as Center city has turned from business headquarters to apartments, 'we have negotiated shorter times,' 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, says David McFarland, of landlord PSP Management. 'It has an incredible sound.'"
Date : 2019-07-01
Email : sjkc0072@aol.com
Comments : The PNB letters on top of this building have been there since the 1950s. Several owners have come and gone since the Philadelphia National Bank (PNB), but the owners left the letters there as they have become iconic in Philly, much like the nearby PSFS letters on the old Philadelphia Savings Fund Society building. The latest owner, Wells Fargo, wants them down. All twelve (four sides) were supposed to come down today, but there were problems, and only three were removed. ... A lot of people think the letters are too iconic to remove, but others say they were not original to the Art Deco building anyway, and removing them restores the building. Personally, I feel they were iconic.
Date : 2014-08-18