One of Philadelphia's most recognizable landmarks is returning to its original home.

The city's iconic Rocky statue will be moved to the top of the Philadelphia Art Museum steps, following a vote by the Philadelphia Art Commission to approve the relocation.

The commission voted 4-1, with one abstention, Wednesday to move the original statue from its longtime location at the base of the museum steps to the top, where it will remain permanently. The statue had been relocated to the bottom of the steps in 2006.

Supporters of the move said the decision restores the statue to its original and intended placement.

"The top of the steps is where the artist intended it to stand, where it was first unveiled and where the Rocky story lives for many people," Marguerite Anglin, public art director for the city of Philadelphia, said. "The steps and the statue are inseparable."

The statue attracts more than 4 million visitors each year, a number expected to increase as Philadelphia prepares for the nation's 250th birthday in 2026.

Before the permanent move happens, the statue will temporarily go indoors. The original Rocky statue will be displayed inside the Art Museum as part of a Rocky exhibit from April to August. Later this fall, it will replace the replica currently positioned at the top of the steps, though it will be set slightly farther back.

Philadelphia is home to three identical Rocky statues. The original was made famous by the film "Rocky III." A second statue, owned by Sylvester Stallone, was loaned to the city last year and currently sits at the top of the steps. A third is on display at Philadelphia International Airport.

Once the original statue is installed upstairs, the replica will be returned to Stallone.

Some concerns were raised about accessibility, as not all visitors are able to climb the museum's 72 steps. City officials said a wheelchair-accessible shuttle will run continuously, transporting visitors from the bottom of the steps to the top and back down.

"I look at the statue and where it is, and it is very accessible," one speaker said at the meeting. "It is where an 80-year-old man doesn't have to climb the steps if he doesn't want to."

Most visitors interviewed near the museum said the statue belongs at the top of the steps, echoing the famous scene from the "Rocky" films.

"The movie portrayed him with that effort, the challenge that he surpassed," one visitor said. "That's my inspiration — the original should be up there."

Another added, "That's where he finished his run."

City officials said a city-owned sculpture will replace the Rocky statue at the bottom of the steps, though it has not yet been determined which piece will take its place.