By Linda Harris, Center City District Philadelphia Janet
Echelman determined to create moving columns of atomized water
for her public sculpture Pulse after delving into the history of
Philadelphia’s Centre Square, one of William Penn’s original
five squares. Echelman’s unique work, to be showcased in the $50
million transformation of Dilworth Plaza adjacent to City Hall,
is a direct reference to the site’s long-standing association
with water, especially the history-making pump house of the
Centre Square Water Works, which began operating in 1801on the
site where City Hall now stands. Echelman’s atomized water,
illuminated by colorful LED light, mimics steam mist, a tribute
to the steam engines used to pump the water and, later, the
steam-driven trains arriving at and departing from the
Pennsylvania Railroad station located directly across the
street. In the late 18th century, Philadelphians were struggling
with recurring bouts of Yellow Fever, especially the epidemic of
1793, which killed about 10% of the c