Skyscrapers Light Up for Old Ship

A pair of Philadelphia skyscrapers are lighting up to show support for the SS United States.

For three nights starting Monday, the PECO Building and Cira Centre will both light up with colorful graphics and messages encouraging viewers to help the troubled ship that's been sitting gutted on the Delaware River for nearly two decades.

Supporters worry it soon could be sold for scrap if funds aren't raised soon.

The PECO Building will display a color graphic of the ship on its wraparound marquee. The Cira Center's facade will light up in the shape of a giant red, white and blue funnel -- the ship's most distinctive feature.

The SS United States carried more than 1 million passengers from 1952 to 1969 including four U.S. Presidents and stars including Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, John Wayne and Salvador Dali. Since the mid-1990s it has sat unused at Pier 82 along Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia.

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Copyright AP - Associated Press
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