art.wikisort.org - Sculpture

A statue of Benjamin Franklin stands outside Franklin High School, in Portland, Oregon's South Tabor neighborhood, in the United States. A work by the sculptor George Berry and his assistants, it was installed in 1942.

Statue of Benjamin Franklin
The statue in 2018
Artist	George Berry
Year	1942 (1942)
Type	Sculpture
Subject	Benjamin Franklin
Dimensions	4.6 m (15 ft)
Location	Portland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates	45.50279°N 122.60689°W / 45.50279; -122.60689
Owner	Franklin High School

Description and history

The sculpture was one of two Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects benefitting Franklin between 1939 and 1942; the other was the construction of the school's athletic field. The statue was funded by Franklin alumni and students, who raised $15,000 to commission an artist from the Federal Art Project, one of WPA's five independent branches. George Berry and his team of assistants created a 40-ton sandstone statue of Franklin, which was erected at the school's north entrance, overlooking the athletic field, in 1942. Including its pedestal, the work measures 15-foot (4.6 m) tall. The pedestal includes built-in benches and the inscription, "One today is worth two tomorrows."[1]

In 2016, the statue was removed temporarily and then returned as part of a major renovation project.[2][3]

See also

• 1942 in art
• Benjamin Franklin in popular culture

References

Further reading

• "Work Begins on New Field". The Oregonian. August 15, 1939.
• "Olden Dream Comes True: School Dedicates Franklin Statue". The Oregonian. May 9, 1942.

External links

• Benjamin Franklin, (sculpture). at the Smithsonian Institution
• Franklin Statue – Portland, OR at Waymarking
• Letter: Let's preserve the historic atmosphere of Franklin High School by Joyce (Pennie) Quinlin Gray (April 23, 2013), The Oregonian

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