Close Call

The day Philly almost killed Sandra Day O’Connor

**The National Constitution Center was lucky no one was killed at its opening ceremonies, July 4, 2003. Recent Photo by Jim Murphy, author of “Real Philly History, Real Fast.”**

I’ll never forget what happened on July 4, 2003, while I watched the opening of the National Constitution Center (NCC) in Philadelphia on TV.

I was stunned.

Toward the end of the festivities, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor asked the crowd to join her in a countdown to the opening. “Please pull the ribbon on the count of three,” she said. “One. Two. Three.”

Then, a 650-lb. wooden frame crashed onto the stage, missing Justice O’Connor by just inches. She cooly said: “We could have, uh, all been killed.”

She was right.

As it was, Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street, and U.S. Senator Arlen Spector were struck in the arms, says the New York Times. “Joseph Torsella, president of the National Constitution Center, was hit in the head and knocked to his knees.”

Fortunately, all three were treated and released.

But I never really saw a satisfactory explanation about what happened.

A complicated plan that didn’t work

The Times said, “When the guests pulled on the ribbons, a screen bearing a reproduction of the signing of the Constitution was to have dropped, revealing a newer painting underneath.”

In the modern version, celebrity guests were supposed to be depicted standing in the places of the founding fathers. As far as I know, no one in the public ever saw that painting. I’m just glad no one got seriously hurt.

After the indoor ceremony ended, small cannons fired streamers over the crowd, fireworks appeared over the NCC and military jets roared overhead. The $185 million museum was now officially open for business.

Interesting Oddities:

The Constitution Center does not possess the original Constitution of the U.S. That’s at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The NCC’s address is 525 Arch Street. Why? The Constitutional Convention first met here on May 25, 1787, or 5/25.
The NCC is not part of the federal government. It’s a private, non-profit organization designed to serve as “America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate.”

Life goes on

Luckily, the injuries people suffered on the NCC’s opening day weren’t serious. And the 650-lb. frame missed Sandra Day O’Connor.

The center, which attracted more than 1 million visitors in its first 15 months of operation, continues to sponsor major educational events and discussions about democracy.

And Sandra Day O’Connor lived more than 20 more years after that fateful day. She just died on Dec. 1, 2023.

To see a video of the near disaster, go to:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4546387/user-clip-ncc-killed-justice-sandra-day-oconnor