Francis Scott Key Monument, Bronze monument in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, United States
The Francis Scott Key Monument is a tall white travertine memorial in Golden Gate Park, pierced by an open archway that frames a seated bronze figure of Key. Above the arch are carved the words THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER, and the base carries an inscribed panel with Key's name. A bronze female figure holding a staff stands at the top, with two bronze eagles on the corners below her.
Businessman James Lick commissioned William Wetmore Story to sculpt the memorial in Rome in 1885–1887; it was unveiled in Golden Gate Park on July 4, 1888, the nation's first memorial to Key. Damaged in the 1906 earthquake, it was repaired and moved to the south side of the Music Concourse, then stored in 1967 and re-erected at the concourse's eastern end on July 4, 1977. Vandals toppled the statue on June 19, 2020.
The monument's stone panel carries verses of "The Star-Spangled Banner," which Key wrote after watching the American flag at Fort McHenry in 1814. Since 2021 the empty plinth has been ringed by Dana King's Monumental Reckoning, and the words "Lift Every Voice" were placed above the Spreckels Temple of Music nearby.
The monument sits in a public park that is free to walk through and easy to reach on foot. Visitors should expect variable weather and dress in layers, especially when exploring the broader park area.
On Juneteenth 2021, sculptor Dana King unveiled Monumental Reckoning: 350 figures, each about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall, ringing the empty plinth. They represent the first Africans kidnapped from Angola and sold into slavery in Virginia in 1619. The works stood until early 2024.
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