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William Penn statue could be removed from Philadelphia: Here's why the plan is controversial
In effort to rehabilitate and re-imagine Welcome Park in Philadelphia, the National Parks Service has proposed a plan to permanently remove the William Penn statue.
PHILADELPHIA - The National Parks Service wants to rehabilitate a park in Philadelphia, and its proposed plans include permanently removing a William Penn statue.
Welcome Park is located on the site of William Penn's home, the Slate Roof House, in Old City.
The park was named "Welcome" after the ship that transported Penn to Philadelphia, and was completed in 1982.
Last week, the National Parks Service announced plans to rehabilitate and re-imagine the park "to provide a more welcoming, accurate, and inclusive experience for visitors."
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The William Penn statue and Slate Roof house model will be removed as part of the plan, and not reinstalled.
New exhibit panels will also be installed to replace the Penn timeline in the future.
The park's original street grid, the rivers and the east wall will remain, but the addition of a ceremonial gathering space has been proposed.
"The proposed rehabilitation of Welcome Park includes expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia and was developed in consultation with representatives of the indigenous nations of the Haudenosaunee, the Delaware Nation, the Delaware Tribe of Indians, the Shawnee Tribe, and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma."
The park is currently inviting the public to comment on the proposed rehabilitation for a 2-week period, from January 8-21. For more information, visit the park's site.