City Takes On U.S. in the Battle of Independence Square
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 7 — Hands off our Liberty. That is what Philadelphia officials are saying to a plan by the National Park Service to erect a seven-foot-tall fence behind Independence Hall. One effect of the project would be to bisect the historic square where the Declaration of Independence was publicly read for the first time, on July 8, 1776.
The plan calls for a wrought-iron fence about 130 feet behind the building, the original home of the Liberty Bell. The Park Service, which operates the site, says the fence is among $2 million in security precautions that the Department of Homeland Security has mandated at the Independence National Historical Park. It is not unlike antiterrorism steps being taken at other major landmarks around the country, parks officials say.
But city and state officeholders say the fence exceeds what is required and will turn an enduring symbol of American freedom into an eyesore.
Read entire article at NYT
The plan calls for a wrought-iron fence about 130 feet behind the building, the original home of the Liberty Bell. The Park Service, which operates the site, says the fence is among $2 million in security precautions that the Department of Homeland Security has mandated at the Independence National Historical Park. It is not unlike antiterrorism steps being taken at other major landmarks around the country, parks officials say.
But city and state officeholders say the fence exceeds what is required and will turn an enduring symbol of American freedom into an eyesore.