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Rocky on the Parkway, again
Dan Rottenberg
Rocky at the Art Museum
(and other future civic inspirations)
DAN ROTTENBERG
NEWS ITEM, May 11: The bare-chested bronze “Rocky” statue, offered to Philadelphia by Sylvester Stallone and rejected at least twice in the past quarter-century, was approved by the Fairmount Park Commission for a site just east of the Art Museum steps made famous in Stallone’s original 1975 boxing movie.
Joan Schlotterbeck, the city’s commissioner of public property, said there had been ongoing interest from Stallone and his representatives to have the statue placed in a prominent spot, such as the top of the Art Museum steps. “This is the first time we gave him a compromise that works and he accepted,” Schlotterbeck told reporters.
The location must still be approved by the city’s Art Commission, but it’s already been embraced by Mayor Street (“Stallone has done so much for this city”), City Council, the business community and the Inquirer’s editorial page, which reasoned: “The museum represents one grand part of Philadelphia. People working hard to achieve rowhouse dreams is another piece. The two ought to be able to exist side-by-side.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, this compromise comes just seven months after the death of former Art Museum president Robert Montgomery Scott, who during a similar populist groundswell in 1990 brought the city to its senses by quietly stating the obvious: The statue was merely a movie prop whose permanent presence on the museum steps would debase the museum and Philadelphia alike.
**
This got me thinking about other creative possibilities opened by our civic leaders’ innovative line of reasoning….
PHILADELPHIA, 2007— In a move supported by public officials, the business community and the media alike, a giant statue of a Tastykake will replace the statue of William Penn atop City Hall. “This is a win-win situation,” Mayor Street explained. “Tasty Baking has done so much for this city; is a civic billboard too much to ask by way of payback? And a colorful giant Tastykake, visible for miles, will finally jump-start our tourist industry once and for all.” Street silenced recalcitrant historians by reminding them: “Tasty Baking has operated in Philadelphia since 1914, whereas William Penn visited Philadelphia only twice, for just a few years.”
Penn’s statue will be relocated to the entrance of Delilah’s Den on Delaware Avenue. “History represents one grand part of Philadelphia,” wrote the Inquirer’s editorial page in support of Penn’s new home. “Upscale strip joints are another piece. The two ought to be able to exist side-by-side.”
PHILADELPHIA, 2008— In a creative solution fashioned by civic boosters and Philadelphia’s three largest foundations, the Barnes Foundation and its world-famous art collection will be relocated from Merion to the 50-yard-line at Lincoln Financial Field. “In keeping with the wishes of Albert Barnes, we sought a location that would appeal to the largest possible number of working-class Philadelphians, while also jump-starting Philadelphia’s tourist industry,” explained Rebecca Rimel, president of the Pew Charitable Trusts. “The fact that the Linc is convenient to public transportation is icing on the cake.”
PHILADELPHIA, 2009— Bowing to demands from subscribers and civic boosters, the Opera Company of Philadelphia agreed to produce a novel twin bill at the Academy of Music, pairing Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci with a National Hockey League game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Buffalo Sabres. The ground-breaking program was immediately endorsed by the Inquirer’s editorial page, which explained, “Opera represents one grand part of Philadelphia. Hockey players banging each other against the boards is another. The two ought to be able to exist side-by-side.”
PHILADELPHIA, 2010— In a compromise move, an equestrian statue of Broad Street Review editor Dan Rottenberg will replace the statue of Joan of Arc on Kelly Drive near the Art Museum, the city announced. Joan Schlotterbeck, the city’s commissioner of public property, said there had been ongoing interest from Rottenberg and his representatives to have the statue placed in a more prominent spot, such as Eakins Oval on Ben Franklin Parkway, where an equestrian statue of George Washington now stands.
“This is the first time we gave Rottenberg a compromise that works and he accepted,” Schlotterbeck explained to reporters. Besides, she added, “A statue of Dan Rottenberg should jump-start Philadelphia’s tourist industry once and for all.”
To view responses to this article, click here.
(and other future civic inspirations)
DAN ROTTENBERG
NEWS ITEM, May 11: The bare-chested bronze “Rocky” statue, offered to Philadelphia by Sylvester Stallone and rejected at least twice in the past quarter-century, was approved by the Fairmount Park Commission for a site just east of the Art Museum steps made famous in Stallone’s original 1975 boxing movie.
Joan Schlotterbeck, the city’s commissioner of public property, said there had been ongoing interest from Stallone and his representatives to have the statue placed in a prominent spot, such as the top of the Art Museum steps. “This is the first time we gave him a compromise that works and he accepted,” Schlotterbeck told reporters.
The location must still be approved by the city’s Art Commission, but it’s already been embraced by Mayor Street (“Stallone has done so much for this city”), City Council, the business community and the Inquirer’s editorial page, which reasoned: “The museum represents one grand part of Philadelphia. People working hard to achieve rowhouse dreams is another piece. The two ought to be able to exist side-by-side.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, this compromise comes just seven months after the death of former Art Museum president Robert Montgomery Scott, who during a similar populist groundswell in 1990 brought the city to its senses by quietly stating the obvious: The statue was merely a movie prop whose permanent presence on the museum steps would debase the museum and Philadelphia alike.
**
This got me thinking about other creative possibilities opened by our civic leaders’ innovative line of reasoning….
PHILADELPHIA, 2007— In a move supported by public officials, the business community and the media alike, a giant statue of a Tastykake will replace the statue of William Penn atop City Hall. “This is a win-win situation,” Mayor Street explained. “Tasty Baking has done so much for this city; is a civic billboard too much to ask by way of payback? And a colorful giant Tastykake, visible for miles, will finally jump-start our tourist industry once and for all.” Street silenced recalcitrant historians by reminding them: “Tasty Baking has operated in Philadelphia since 1914, whereas William Penn visited Philadelphia only twice, for just a few years.”
Penn’s statue will be relocated to the entrance of Delilah’s Den on Delaware Avenue. “History represents one grand part of Philadelphia,” wrote the Inquirer’s editorial page in support of Penn’s new home. “Upscale strip joints are another piece. The two ought to be able to exist side-by-side.”
PHILADELPHIA, 2008— In a creative solution fashioned by civic boosters and Philadelphia’s three largest foundations, the Barnes Foundation and its world-famous art collection will be relocated from Merion to the 50-yard-line at Lincoln Financial Field. “In keeping with the wishes of Albert Barnes, we sought a location that would appeal to the largest possible number of working-class Philadelphians, while also jump-starting Philadelphia’s tourist industry,” explained Rebecca Rimel, president of the Pew Charitable Trusts. “The fact that the Linc is convenient to public transportation is icing on the cake.”
PHILADELPHIA, 2009— Bowing to demands from subscribers and civic boosters, the Opera Company of Philadelphia agreed to produce a novel twin bill at the Academy of Music, pairing Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci with a National Hockey League game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Buffalo Sabres. The ground-breaking program was immediately endorsed by the Inquirer’s editorial page, which explained, “Opera represents one grand part of Philadelphia. Hockey players banging each other against the boards is another. The two ought to be able to exist side-by-side.”
PHILADELPHIA, 2010— In a compromise move, an equestrian statue of Broad Street Review editor Dan Rottenberg will replace the statue of Joan of Arc on Kelly Drive near the Art Museum, the city announced. Joan Schlotterbeck, the city’s commissioner of public property, said there had been ongoing interest from Rottenberg and his representatives to have the statue placed in a more prominent spot, such as Eakins Oval on Ben Franklin Parkway, where an equestrian statue of George Washington now stands.
“This is the first time we gave Rottenberg a compromise that works and he accepted,” Schlotterbeck explained to reporters. Besides, she added, “A statue of Dan Rottenberg should jump-start Philadelphia’s tourist industry once and for all.”
To view responses to this article, click here.
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