Benjamin Franklin – also known as the Benjamin Franklin Memorial, Benjamin Franklin Statue and Cogswell Historical Monument[1] – is an outdoor sculpture in Washington Square, San Francisco, California.[2]

Benjamin Franklin
The statue in 2007
Artist	Unknown
Type	Sculpture
Medium	Sculpture: Bronze Base: Granite
Subject	Benjamin Franklin
Location	San Francisco, California, United States
Coordinates	37.80082°N 122.41000°W / 37.80082; -122.41000

Description

This section does not cite any sources. (April 2016)

The smaller-than-life-size bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin, by an unknown sculptor, stands upon an ornate granite base, that contains a time capsule. There are inscriptions on all four sides of the base. Spigots once dispensed drinking water into three stone basins. The spigots have been removed.

History

Created as a Temperance fountain by crusader Henry D. Cogswell, the monument was originally installed at Kearny and Market Streets in 1879. In 1904, it was relocated to Washington Square.[3]

In 1979, 100 years after its creation, a time capsule hidden in the statue's base was removed and opened. A new time capsule, to be opened in 2079, was installed.[4]

In popular culture

The statue is visible behind Richard Brautigan on the original cover of his 1967 novel Trout Fishing in America.

See also

• Benjamin Franklin in popular culture
• Drinking fountains in the United States

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Benjamin Franklin Memorial (San Francisco).

• Franklin, Benjamin statue in Washington Square in San Francisco, California at DC Memorials