The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, located in the rotunda of

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...

science museum in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, U.S., features a colossal statue of a seated

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

, American writer, inventor, statesman, and

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

. The -tall memorial, was sculpted by James Earle Fraser between 1906 and 1911 and dedicated in 1938. With a weight of the statue rests on a pedestal of white Seravezza marble. It is the focal piece of the Memorial Hall of the Franklin Institute, which was designed by John Windrim and modeled after the

Roman Pantheon The Roman deities most widely known today are those the Romans identified with Greek counterparts (see ''interpretatio graeca''), integrating Greek mythology, Greek myths, ancient Greek art, iconography, and sometimes Religion in ancient Greece, ...

. The statue and Memorial Hall were designated as the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in 1972. It is the primary location memorializing Benjamin Franklin in the U.S.

History

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

designated the national memorial on October 25, 1972 (). Unlike most national memorials, the statue is not listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The national memorial is an affiliated area of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

, assigned to

Independence National Historical Park Independence National Historical Park is a federally protected historic district in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution and the nation's founding history. Administered by the National P ...

through a Memorandum of Agreement entered into on November 6, 1973. Under terms of the agreement, the Institute owns and maintains the publicly accessible memorial, and the Park Service includes the memorial in official publications and otherwise cooperates with the Institute in all appropriate and mutually agreeable ways on behalf of the memorial. Public Law 109-153 (December 30, 2005) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make available to the Institute up to $10,000,000 in matching grants for the rehabilitation of the memorial and for the development of related exhibits. This appropriation commemorates the 300th anniversary of Franklin's birth on January 17, 1706. In 2008, the Memorial underwent a $3.8 million restoration, which included installation of a multi-media presentation about Philadelphia's most famous citizen, now featured in the 3½-minute show "Benjamin Franklin Forever". The memorial's new digital projection, theatrical lighting, and audio effects are fully utilized in a program that introduces Franklin as a curious tinkerer, and demonstrates his profound impact on the world as a premiere international citizen, statesman, civic leader, and scientist. The refurbishment also included improved acoustics, state-of-the-art LED lighting upgrades, and restoration and re-gilding of the oculus to its original brilliance. Throughout the day, quotes from Franklin are projected onto the walls, and graphic panels highlighting his life and accomplishments provide visitors with a still greater appreciation of this Founding Father. Admission to the National Memorial is free. The memorial appears in the 2004 film '' National Treasure.''

References

External links

National Park Service images of Benjamin Franklin National Memorial

* ttp://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/research/r_a_fras.html James Earle Fraser biography {{authority control 1911 sculptures 1972 establishments in Pennsylvania Franklin Institute Greek Revival architecture in Pennsylvania History of Philadelphia Independence National Historical Park Marble sculptures in Pennsylvania Monuments and memorials in Philadelphia National Memorials of the United States National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Protected areas established in 1972 Protected areas of Philadelphia Works by James Earle Fraser (sculptor) Colossal statues in the United States

History

See also

References

External links