I visited Philadelphia in 2019 and walked from the Union Station to my hostel.
Philadelphia is nicknamed ‘The City of Brotherly Love’, which in Greek means ‘philos = loving’ and ‘adelphos = brother’ with the idea that people from all walks of life could live and work together in harmony.
On the way to the hostel, I came across the clock tower atop The Philadelphia City Hall.
This clock tower and the City Hall have an interesting history.
The construction of this tower started in 1871 intending to build the world’s tallest non-religious building. Until then, almost all tall buildings were churches or minarets of mosques.
But the construction was delayed, and meanwhile the Washington Monument and Eiffel Tower took the lead and finished as the tallest structures in the world.
The Philly City Hall yet claimed the record as the world’s tallest habitable building.
This is also the tallest building in the world without a steel frame,
since it is built entirely in sandstone with a marble covering.
The tower is also the largest municipal building in the world.
There are 200 statues installed within or on the outer surface of the building. And on the top is the statue of William Penn, the founder of the city of Philadephia.
This is the largest statue on top of any building in the world.
Each clock face is 26 feet in diameter.
For comparison, humans are 5-6 feet tall.
So the clock’s minute hand is 3 people tall.
This dial is larger than the clock on London’s Big Ben.
In 1956 this building was proposed to be demolished.
But the expenses were more than the annual budget of the city of Philadelphia.
The Superstition
For over a century, it was an unwritten convention that no building in Philly should be built taller than this city hall.
This was breached when ‘One Liberty Building’ came up in 1984.
Coincidentally, no team from Philly won a championship for the next 20 years in sports like baseball, rugby, etc.
So a superstition developed that this was the curse of William Penn, whose statue atop the Town Hall for more than 100 years was no longer the highest point.
Later, another building, ‘Comcast Center’, was built, and this one too was taller than the City Hall.
So to overcome the curse, they put an 8-inch idol of William Penn on top of the three other buildings to restore the pride of its founder - or more of his spirit. 
And surprisingly, in the following year, the Philly team won the world series.
Note that 3 nations - USA, Canada, and Mexico play in a championship that they call a ‘World Series’. Anyway, they won.
Hence this clock tower hosted in a building has the most number of world records - and that in itself is a record.
Meanwhile, I spotted another clock tower in Philly close to my hostel on Chestnut and 2nd Street. Though I do not remember much about this clock tower.
My suggestions:
- Visit Philly.
- Walk from the station to downtown - take plenty of photos.
- The city has historic vibes - soak in Philly.
How to Reach?
I took a mega bus from Washington to here.
Flights are available - I avoided them since taxis to and from airports are costly.
Where to NOT Eat?
Their bread and service were terrible PrimoHoagies.
Where to Stay?
I stayed in this hostel.
Other Attractions in Philly
- Philadelphia Clock Tower - World Records and American Superstitions
- Liberty Bell in Philadelphia - Dawn of American Freedom
- The Declaration House.
Here are my officially recorded 25 Clock Tower Visits:
- Merta City Clock Tower
- Surat Clock Tower
- Pune Police Station Clock Tower
- The Fascinating Clock Tower of Spicer University in Pune
- The Elegant Clock Tower of Suburban Tokyo
- The Clock Tower Replica of Las Vegas
- Houston’s Magnificent Clock Tower
- A Replica Clock Tower in The Universal Studios of Orlando
- Clock tower outside the National Park in Mumbai
- A Unique 45° Corner Public Clock in Seattle, USA
- Clock Tower of Aurangabad - Nostalgic Feelings of Childhood
- The Clock Tower of Nashik - Simple Yet Elegant
- An Ordinary Public Clock and the Extraordinary Streets of Tokyo
- A Clock Tower at the Foothills of Mt. Fuji in Japan
- Public Clock of the Gurudwara in Gurugram
- The New Public Clock in the City Market of Pune
- The Vanaz Clock Tower on Paud Road in Pune
- Karve Road Clock Tower in Pune
- Thane Clock Tower - Discovered in Serendipity.
- Discovering and Adding a Clock Tower in Pune.
- Discovered a new Clock Tower in Gurugram
- A Majestic Public Clock at a Temple Entrance in Kolhapur
- The Clock Tower in Wanawadi - Simple and Unwavering
- Clock Tower in a Constitution Park - Double Bonanza
- Enchanting Clock Tower by the Seaside in Sunny San Diego
in your post.