William Penn statue won’t be removed from Philadelphia’s Welcome Park after all

Welcome Park at 2nd Street and Sansom Walk is located on the site of William Penn’s former home — the Slate Roof House — and is named after the ship, Welcome, which brought Penn to Philadelphia.

The site, funded by the Independence Historical Trust, was completed in 1982.

Park officials say they are still committed to rehabilitating Welcome Park as the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

“Upon completion of all the necessary internal reviews, the park looks forward to engaging in a robust public process to consider options for refurbishing the park in the coming years,” said the Independence National Historical Park in a news release.

Before the proposal was withdrawn, some residents across Philadelphia had mixed feelings about the potential changes coming to the 41-year-old park.

Pennsylvania House Representative Leader Bryan Cutler thought that taking away Penn’s statue would be an attempt to erase history.

“Let’s start with the fact that William Penn, his name is literally in our state,” said Cutler (R. – Lancaster County). “Attempts to remove him from his home place, I think is unacceptable.”

Others said Penn will always be prevalent in the city, stature or not.

“I don’t think there’s any erasing William Penn in Philadelphia, considering he sits atop City Hall,” said Democrat Mary Isaacson, who represents the district where the statue stands.