The Calder Family
Philadelphia's First Family of Sculpture
City Hall
The giant figure of William Penn atop City Hall Tower — more than 36 feet tall — is the work of Alexander Milne Calder. He also created most of the 250 other sculptures at City Hall.
Logan Square
Alexander Stirling Calder, son of the City Hall artist, created Swann Memorial Fountain, where Native American figures represent local waterways: the Delaware River (a man), the Schuylkill River (a woman) and Wissahickon Creek (a girl). Frogs, turtles, a fish and two swans — puns on the name of Dr. Wilson Cary Swann, the fountain’s namesake — complete the group. Nearby is Stirling Calder’s Shakespeare Memorial.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Stirling Calder’s son Alexander “Sandy” Calder became famous for sculptures that move. One of his graceful mobiles, Ghost, hangs in the Great Stair Hall of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. From the museum’s door, you can see the works of all three Calders.