Billy Penn's Headaches

Over at Hidden City Philadelphia an informative post with details about the communication uses to which Penn's statue on City Hall has been put over the years. Though for all the talk of debasement and vandalism of a (at the time) notable world class landmark it might be considered that Penn himself, not the statue, might have had strong feelings about the eradication of Centre Square, the centerpiece park of his Greene Countrie Towne, with a massive granite government building.

One clue to Penn's position on this might be noted in the book Lost Philadelphia, by Mauger and Skiba, where Samuel Carpenter proposed the Slate Roof House that would overlook the river "initially Penn resisted  requests to build houses close to the Delaware, hoping to preserve the foliage along the waterfront...." Penn inevitably gave in to development.

Slate Roof House. Razed in 1867.

Then again Lost Philadelphia also mentions how, when Penn returned to the city after his long hiatus in England, he made the Slate Roof House his residence, in effect, making it the City Hall.