Overview
- The Philadelphia Art Commission voted unanimously to relocate the Stephen Layne–sculpted Joe Frazier statue from the South Philadelphia sports complex to the base of the museum steps.
- The move, presented by Creative Philadelphia, is targeted for spring with an estimated cost of about $150,000, including a new base and foundation and added interpretive panels or similar components.
- The Rocky statue will be displayed inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art from April through August in the exhibition “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments,” then installed at the top of the steps in the fall.
- City officials cited visibility and safety considerations for the placements, noting Frazier’s larger footprint and the need for circulation at the summit, while the Rocky replica currently atop the steps will return to Sylvester Stallone.
- Support letters from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and other leaders backed the plan, though some, including a Frazier granddaughter, questioned placing the real champion below a fictional character during Black History Month.