PHILADELPHIA BANK BUILDING COIN SCULPTURES

Regarding last week's image of a Fugio Cent on a Philadelphia bank building, Craig McDonald writes:

 

 

 

 

The Wells Fargo Building, originally the Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company Building, is a skyscraper in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style by the architectural firm Simon & Simon, the building was erected for the Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Co. in 1928. The 29-story high-rise is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

At street level, three arched entranceways line Broad Street. The central arch is slightly larger than the others to indicate the entrance to the main banking hall. Carved into the facade above the center arch is the building's name. Inside the arches and above the doorways are windows designed by d'Ascenzo Studios. Leaded panes of glass of various shades of amber are surrounded by a Renaissance-style border. Below the windows are bronze doors, each with 24 high-relief panels depicting the history of commerce and civilization. Bas-relief figures decorate each of the arches' spandrels. A male figure with a hammer representing industry and a female figure with a beehive representing thrift decorate the center arch. The arch closest to Sansom Street is decorated by two figures with cornucopias to represent abundance. The arch nearer to Walnut Street is decorated by a painter and a sculptor to represent art.

Next to the two smaller archways are carved medallions, one flanking each spandrel. The medallions closest to Sansom Street represent early American coins, a Pine Tree coin from Massachusetts and Grandi Copper coin from Connecticut. The medallions closest to the Walnut Street side represent the first American coin issued by Congress and the Eye Coin from Vermont. Two medallions on the Walnut Street side depict both sides of the Lafayette Medal. Only one medallion decorates the Samson Street side, depicting another early coin from Vermont.

The lobby holds a branch of the Wells Fargo History Museum; its exhibits include a stagecoach, telegraph equipment, historic clothing and currency.

To read the complete article, see:
Wells Fargo Building (Philadelphia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Fargo_Building_(Philadelphia))

 

The interior includes a 2 1/2-story banking hall with cream-colored terrazzo marble and a five-tier, 1.25-ton chandelier, that measures 11 feet high by 11 feet wide. One of the largest made in the U.S., it contains 10,000 hand-cut and polished, Austrian and West German crystals. The bank branch also includes a 25 foot tall stained-glass window, with images of Independence Hall, George Washington's Farewell Address to Congress, William Penn's treaty with the Indians, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin's printing office and Betsy Ross displaying the United States flag.

To read the complete article, see:
One of Philadelphia's most prestigious buildings, 123 South Broad Street is a Philadelphia landmark. (https://www.123southbroad.com/building/)

 

Upon acquiring the historic home of the Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company, Wells Fargo set up the Wells Fargo History Museum in the lobby of the building. The Museum connects the history of Wells Fargo and the gold rush with the Philadelphia Mint and influential Philadelphia banks of the era.

In the Wells Fargo History Museum, you can learn about the important history of the financial institutions of Philadelphia and how they relate to the history of Wells Fargo. Inside the Museum are a number of exhibits and artifacts including an authentic Concord city-style stagecoach.

To read the complete article, see:
Wells Fargo History Museum (https://www.theconstitutional.com/blog/2014/03/26/wells-fargo-history-museum)

 
The Wells Fargo Museum is surprisingly large for something most people ignore

Behind the facade at Broad and Walnut is a miniature museum filled with artifacts from 19th century American banking and commerce.

Set just off the lobby of the historic skyscraper, which played a starring role in the 1983 Dan Aykroyd-Eddie Murphy comedy Trading Places, the museum is open to the public five days a week. Not many people know that, however, and attendance is exceedingly slim, according to staff.

No one ever comes in here, said a woman custodian stationed near the entrance on a recent February afternoon. Never.

To read the complete article, see:
Inside the money museum hidden a block from Philly City Hall (https://billypenn.com/2020/02/17/inside-the-money-museum-hidden-a-block-from-philly-city-hall/)

 

To read the complete article, see:
Wells Fargo to permanently shutter almost all of its museums, including Philadelphia location (https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2020/09/02/wells-fargo-museum-closing-philadelphia.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Fugio Cent on Philadelphia Bank Building (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n15a18.html)

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