Benjamin Franklin, Bronze monument in Washington Square, San Francisco, United States.
Benjamin Franklin is a bronze sculpture in Washington Square, San Francisco, set on an ornate granite pedestal inscribed on all four sides. The statue stands amid trees and open lawn at the center of the park.
The monument was first placed in 1879 at the corner of Kearny and Market Streets, then moved to Washington Square in 1904 at the urging of Henry D. Cogswell. This move reflected the growing importance of the North Beach neighborhood in the city's public life.
The bronze figure stands at the center of Washington Square and draws both visitors and locals toward it. The open space around the base is used daily by people walking through, sitting nearby, or simply pausing to look.
The sculpture sits at the center of Washington Square and is easy to reach on foot from the North Beach neighborhood. Daytime visits give the best view of the bronze figure and the details on the granite base.
Inside the granite pedestal lies a time capsule sealed in 1979, filled with objects from everyday life in San Francisco at that time. It is not set to be opened until 2079, exactly one century after it was sealed.
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