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Girard Fountain Park is a pocket park in the Old City neighborhood of
retrieved 13 October 2007. The park was created in the mid-1960s after the demolition of four 3- and 4-story commercial buildings that had stood on the northeast corner of 4th and Arch Streets. A firehouse was built on the corner lots, while the lot formerly occupied by 325 Arch was cleared."James Peniston Sculpture: Location: ''Keys To Community,'' 2007,"
retrieved 29 October 2007. The park was improved following the 1976 grant of money from a city-held fund established by banker Stephen Girard (1750–1831) to improve areas near the
retrieved 29 October 2007. ''Penny Franklin'' was unveiled on June 10, 1971, by U.S. Mint Director
U.S. Treasury Department, June 10, 1971. Retrieved 29 October 2007. Over the next two decades, the sculpture, also known as ''Penny Benny,'' became "one of the city's best-known landmarks." But it eventually deteriorated and became a potential hazard. For a while, the sculpture was kept from tumbling onto the sidewalk by ropes rigged by the firefighters from the firehouse next door.
, blog post by ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' photographer Tom Gralish, 22 October 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007. In 1996, it was removed to city storage."Statue may return to mint condition," ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', August 19, 2001. Retrieved 29 October 2007 via
''The Bulletin'', October 9, 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.The park itself had fallen into disrepair by the mid-1990s, and its gate was generally kept locked by the Fire Department. But a restoration effort, begun in summer of 2006 led by Old City residents Janet Kalter and Joe Schiavo, brought the park back into public use. In the wake of the sculpture's dedication, Fire Department officials consented to restoration work on the fountain. The work began in June 2008 and the fountain was restored to operation in August. The Fire Department formally returned the fountain to service in a Nov. 1 ceremony. Kalter and Schiavo, now incorporated as d.b.a. Old City Green, have continued to propose and execute major improvement projects, minor upgrades, and maintain the park on a daily basis. In 2016, with financial assistance provided by Old City District, Old City Green replaced all the aging park furniture and seating area pavers, upgraded the fountain filtration and chlorination systems, and altered the park entrance walls and gate to present a more welcoming appearance. In 2019, Old City Green proposed, funded, and executed a redesign of the north section of the park, expanding the garden perimeter, installing a central raised-planter feature, three new bench locations, and replaced the (unsustainable) lawn with a deep-bed crushed brick surface. In 2019, a mural, depicting the history of organized firefighting in Philadelphia and founding of the Philadelphia Fire Department and subsequent supporting organizations, was installed on the east wall of the park. The mural, designed by Eric Okdeh, was a partnership project of Mural Arts Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Fire Department, the PFD Family Association, and WAWA.
A history of the park's location
at jepsculpture.com.
Photo of buildings demolished to clear parkland, November 20, 1959
PhillyHistory.org.
Photo of rear wall under construction, December 14, 1967
PhillyHistory.org.
Photo of rear wall under construction, 1969
PhillyHistory.org.
Photo of rear wall, completed, March 30, 1969
PhillyHistory.org.
Photo of front wall with ''Penny Franklin'' sculpture, May 11, 1977
PhillyHistory.org.
Photos of ''Keys To Community,'' 3 October 2007
Flickr.com.
''Keys To Communitys entry
at Philadelphia Public Art@philart.net.
Before-and-after photos of restored park
August 2008, Flickr.com.
2009 photos of restored fountains.
{{Philadelphia parks Municipal parks in Philadelphia Pocket parks Old City, Philadelphia 1960s establishments in Pennsylvania
Girard Fountain Park is a pocket park in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia
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 ...
, at 325 Arch Street. It is open to the public during daylight hours and is maintained by local volunteers now incorporated as d.b.a. Old City Green."James Peniston Sculpture: Work: ''Keys To Community,'' 2007,"retrieved 13 October 2007. The park was created in the mid-1960s after the demolition of four 3- and 4-story commercial buildings that had stood on the northeast corner of 4th and Arch Streets. A firehouse was built on the corner lots, while the lot formerly occupied by 325 Arch was cleared."James Peniston Sculpture: Location: ''Keys To Community,'' 2007,"
retrieved 29 October 2007. The park was improved following the 1976 grant of money from a city-held fund established by banker Stephen Girard (1750–1831) to improve areas near the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
.
In 1971, a sculpture of 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 ...
by local sculptor Reginald E. Beauchamp was installed atop the park's front wall. It was made of acrylic
Acrylic may refer to:
Chemicals and materials
* Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound
* Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity
* Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...
and covered with almost 80,000 pennies
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
collected from local schoolchildren, and it incorporated a device that delivered a recorded two-minute speech on fire prevention at the push of a button."James Peniston Sculpture: ''Penny Franklin''retrieved 29 October 2007. ''Penny Franklin'' was unveiled on June 10, 1971, by U.S. Mint Director
Mary Brooks
Mary Elizabeth Thomas Peavey Brooks (November 1, 1907 – February 11, 2002) was an American politician. She directed the United States Mint from September 1969 to February 1977.
Early life and education
Mary Elizabeth Thomas was born to John W ...
. "Mint Director Unveils Penny Franklin Sculpture."U.S. Treasury Department, June 10, 1971. Retrieved 29 October 2007. Over the next two decades, the sculpture, also known as ''Penny Benny,'' became "one of the city's best-known landmarks." But it eventually deteriorated and became a potential hazard. For a while, the sculpture was kept from tumbling onto the sidewalk by ropes rigged by the firefighters from the firehouse next door.
, blog post by ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' photographer Tom Gralish, 22 October 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007. In 1996, it was removed to city storage."Statue may return to mint condition," ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', August 19, 2001. Retrieved 29 October 2007 via
LexisNexis
LexisNexis is a part of the RELX corporation that sells data analytics products and various databases that are accessed through online portals, including portals for computer-assisted legal research (CALR), newspaper search, and consumer informa ...
.
In 2003, the city's public arts agency commissioned sculptor James Peniston
James Peniston (born 1973) is an American sculptor whose monumental works in bronze include ''Gregor Mendel'' (1998), ''Keys To Community'' (2007), and ''American Pharoah'' (2017).
Peniston worked on the 2004 National World War II Memorial in ...
to replace the older work. Peniston sculpted a bust
Bust commonly refers to:
* A woman's breasts
* Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders
* An arrest
Bust may also refer to:
Places
* Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France
*Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically
Media
* ''Bust'' (magazin ...
of Franklin in bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
and covered it with casts of 1,000 keys collected from local schoolchildren. Called ''Keys To Community,'' the one-ton sculpture also contains several brass nameplates representing Philadelphia firefighters fallen in the line of duty over four centuries. The sculpture was partially funded by the Fire Department and by more than 1.5 million pennies donated by schoolchildren in 500 area schools. It was unveiled and dedicated on October 5, 2007."Ben Franklin is busted,"''The Bulletin'', October 9, 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.The park itself had fallen into disrepair by the mid-1990s, and its gate was generally kept locked by the Fire Department. But a restoration effort, begun in summer of 2006 led by Old City residents Janet Kalter and Joe Schiavo, brought the park back into public use. In the wake of the sculpture's dedication, Fire Department officials consented to restoration work on the fountain. The work began in June 2008 and the fountain was restored to operation in August. The Fire Department formally returned the fountain to service in a Nov. 1 ceremony. Kalter and Schiavo, now incorporated as d.b.a. Old City Green, have continued to propose and execute major improvement projects, minor upgrades, and maintain the park on a daily basis. In 2016, with financial assistance provided by Old City District, Old City Green replaced all the aging park furniture and seating area pavers, upgraded the fountain filtration and chlorination systems, and altered the park entrance walls and gate to present a more welcoming appearance. In 2019, Old City Green proposed, funded, and executed a redesign of the north section of the park, expanding the garden perimeter, installing a central raised-planter feature, three new bench locations, and replaced the (unsustainable) lawn with a deep-bed crushed brick surface. In 2019, a mural, depicting the history of organized firefighting in Philadelphia and founding of the Philadelphia Fire Department and subsequent supporting organizations, was installed on the east wall of the park. The mural, designed by Eric Okdeh, was a partnership project of Mural Arts Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Fire Department, the PFD Family Association, and WAWA.
References
External links
A history of the park's location
at jepsculpture.com.
Photo of buildings demolished to clear parkland, November 20, 1959
PhillyHistory.org.
Photo of rear wall under construction, December 14, 1967
PhillyHistory.org.
Photo of rear wall under construction, 1969
PhillyHistory.org.
Photo of rear wall, completed, March 30, 1969
PhillyHistory.org.
Photo of front wall with ''Penny Franklin'' sculpture, May 11, 1977
PhillyHistory.org.
Photos of ''Keys To Community,'' 3 October 2007
Flickr.com.
''Keys To Communitys entry
at Philadelphia Public Art@philart.net.
Before-and-after photos of restored park
August 2008, Flickr.com.
2009 photos of restored fountains.
{{Philadelphia parks Municipal parks in Philadelphia Pocket parks Old City, Philadelphia 1960s establishments in Pennsylvania