Why were the Parkway country flags taken down this week?
Philadelphians looked to social media for answers when The Inquirer had them all along.
Philadelphians ran to social media Wednesday morning to report that the Benjamin Franklin Parkway’s iconic country flags were gone.
But what some Philadelphians may not know is that the 109 country flags are taken down multiple times every year. In this week’s case of the missing flags, it’s just the city’s biannual replacement job for new custom-made flags with reinforced stitching, a city spokesperson said.
The Inquirer responded to this reader question in December through the Curious Philly question portal, where readers can ask Inquirer journalists to look into peculiarities around town.
We found out that the flags are overseen by the city’s Department of Public Property and are regularly replaced about twice per year, or as needed.
Crews perform weekly checks to monitor them for wear and tear, especially during strong weather and winds, which stress the flags the most, the department said. Extended exposure to the sun can also wither the flag’s liveliness. The bungles holding the flags to the poles are also screened for damage during these checks.
Philadelphia first mounted the flags in 1976, taking inspiration from Paris’ Champs-Élysées, as part of the U.S. Bicentennial celebration. The original 90 flags were meant to represent the various populations of people living in Philadelphia. The city added 19 more in 2010. Arranged in alphabetical order, the flags line the Parkway from 16th Street up to the Eakins Oval out front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Staff writer Nate File contributed to this article.