73 people are currently watching the ebay auction of "THE ACTUAL Philadelphia Phillies GIANT HAT Worn by William Penn above City Hall!" The 7-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide hat was obtained by former baseball card shop owner Glen Spence in the early 1990's after a friend had called him up to tell him that people were dragging the sad relic to a dumpster near Veteran's Stadium. It's tough to say whether the giant cap will actually fetch the $10,000 price tag, but suffice it to say Philadelphians are a nostalgic bunch —its dumpster days are over.
Turns out the massive hat isn't the only piece of Philadelphia history that won't see the inside of a landfill. In an attempt to save the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust —the developer tasked with The Gallery's metamorphosis — a bit of money (OK and benefit the environment), a lot of the broken material resulting from the forthcoming demolition of the now nearly-vacant Center City mall may be recycled.
While the fate of most of the mall's decorative elements (including the iconic Gallery sign welcoming shoppers at its Ninth Street entrance) remains to be seen, let's just imagine for one second that these Gallery treasures found their way to the dumpster. Which would you dive in after?
Let's start with the odd abstract sculpture that greets shoppers at the mall's Ninth Street entrance. We imagine there may not be a place for this tribute to chain-smoking in the upcoming Fashion Outlets of Philadelphia. Any takers?
YES to all of these hanging metallic cubes dangling over shoppers' heads just inside the entrance. What a chic alternative to a generic mobile for your child's nursery. What a conversation-starter hanging from the ceiling of your industrial loft! Dibs.
This could easily be deconstructed and sold for parts. We think blue neon Benjamin Franklin might fetch quite the price at auction.
Speaking of Ben, this tired mural that lined the wall next to the food court might look great as a whimsical tiled floor in someone's guest bath.
There has to be a future for these lovebirds —maybe they'd like outlet shopping? Just maybe replace the purple with any other color.
Actually, it might be nice to see these original Strawbridge's emblems stay right where they are. The obvious alternative is down the street at the Philadelphia History Museum.
The green neon Chicken sign is ours.
Admit it. A part of you will miss this floor.
· Gutting the Gallery for recycling [Philly.com]
· Guy selling giant Phillies cap on eBay trash-picked it from Veterans Stadium [Billy Penn]
· Gallery Shutting 10th Street Doors to Commuters in August [Curbed Philly]
· THE ACTUAL Philadelphia Phillies GIANT HAT Worn by William Penn above City Hall! [ebay]
· #flashbackfriday: The Implosion of Veteran's Stadium [Curbed Philly]
· When The Moon Is In The Seventh House, The Gallery Gets Turned Inside-Out [Curbed Philly]
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