The outdoor statue of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, is located near the intersection of 12th Street and

Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...

NW, in front of the Old Post Office. The statue was a gift from Stilson Hutchins, founder of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', who wanted to display his and the newspaper's stature in the city. The designer, Ernst Plassmann, and sculptor, Jacques Jouvenal, were both German-American artists. The architect of the memorial was J. F. Manning. The statue was unveiled in 1889 after several years of bureaucratic

red tape Red tape is a concept employed to denounce excessive or redundant regulation and adherence to formal rules for creating unnecessary constraints on action and decision-making. The occurrence of red tape is usually associated with governments but a ...

. There was no public celebration at the dedication, due to Hutchins' desire for the event to be small and intimate. The statue was originally sited at the intersection of 10th Street, D Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. During the 1960s and 1970s, many changes were made to Pennsylvania Avenue, including relocating the statue. The site chosen, in front of the Old Post Office, was because Franklin, in addition to being a statesman, diplomat, and a

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states 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., political system ...

, served as the country's first Postmaster General. The statue is one of fourteen American Revolution statues in Washington, D.C., that were collectively listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP). The statue is also a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

to the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site and the L'Enfant Plan, both listed on the NRHP. The statue is made of Carrara marble and the pedestal is Quincy

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

. There are several inscriptions on the statue and pedestal, and a multi-colored brick inlay surrounds it.

Location and design

The statue of

is located in front of the Old Post Office at the intersection of 12th Street and

NW in

It was originally sited two blocks east across the street from ''

'' offices but was moved to its present location in 1980, based on the design plan of the city's Pennsylvania Development Corporation. The statue is made of Carrara marble and is approximately 8 feet tall (2.4 m). The base is Quincy

and measures 5.5 feet wide (1.7 m). The pedestal and statue are on a raised platform made of granite. When the statue was moved in 1982, Aleksandra Kasuba was chosen to design the platform. In addition to the platform, she designed a multicolor granite and brick pavement surrounding the statue that was meant to recall the Old Post Office interior. The base and platform measures 11-feet tall (3.4 m). The full-length statue of Franklin depicts him as a diplomat in the court of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

when the U.S. signed its first treaty with a foreign power. His right arm is raised, and he is holding papers or diplomatic documents with his left hand. Behind his right foot are three books, two closed and one open. Just under the statue is the inscription:
FRANKLIN Below that, each side of the base is inscribed with one word describing Franklin:
PRINTER
PHILANTHROPIST
PATRIOT
PHILOSOPHER. On the second level of the base is inscribed:
PRESENTED TO THE NATIONAL CAPITAL/ BY /STILSON HUTCHINS. A bronze plaque is on the third level of the base. Its inscription is:
ERECTED JANUARY 17TH, 1889 ERNST PLASSMAN, DESIGNER
JACQUES JOUVENAL, SCULPTOR
J. F. MANNING, DESIGNER OF PEDESTAL COMMISSIONERS OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
W. B. WEBB, S .E. WHEATLEY, C. W. RAYMOND

History

Production and installation

Benjamin Franklin, one of America's

Founding Fathers The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence ...

and a signer of its

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

, was a well-known 18th-century intellectual, scientist, statesman, author, and diplomat. Around 100 years after Franklin's birth, Stilson Hutchins, founder of ''

'', aimed to make the surrounding area of his newspaper's building a prime example of his contributions and stature to the city. One of his contributions was to erect a statue honoring Franklin in a small lot at 10th Street, D Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, directly across from ''The Post'' building. It took several years before the statue came to fruition. After an

Act of Congress An act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

was approved on July 19, 1888, local government officials were to find a location for the statue. Since Stilson was paying for the statue, officials chose the lot near his newspaper's building. Ernst Plassmann was a German-American sculptor who designed the statue of Franklin, partially based on earlier works he had made. The sculptor chosen for the piece, Jacques Jouvenal, was also born in Germany and lived in Washington, D.C., from 1855 until his death in 1905. Jouvenal had operated a statuary workshop at 941 D Street NW, the site where ''The Post'' building would be located years later and the current site of the J. Edgar Hoover Building. By the time the statue was finally installed, Hutchins had retired and dedicated the piece to Washington, D.C., as a symbol of good will from U.S. newspaper publishers. The dedication ceremony took place at 10 a.m. on January 17, 1889, Franklin's birthday. The unveiling was done by Franklin's great-granddaughter, Mrs. H. W. Emory. In an article covering the event, ''The Post'' wrote " e statue was uncovered without ostentation or parade, Mr. Hutchins having declined a great many suggestions to make what he styles a 'fuss' over it."

Later history

In 1893, ''The Post'' moved its headquarters, but the statue remained in the same place. Several years later the local government created a triangular plaza where the statue is located in order for traffic to run more smoothly. A new bank that opened across from the statue in 1914 was named Franklin National Bank due to the statue facing its building. The statue became a meeting spot for various groups in the early 20-century.

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

would use the location to proselytize, suffragists met there in 1915, and it was also a meeting place for

disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing Weapon, weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, ...

activists following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. On Franklin's birthday, it wasn't uncommon for people to lay wreaths in front of the statue. Over time, the statue became dirty and was in serious need of cleaning. Because most statues in public spaces in Washington, D.C., are located on federal property, it is the government's responsibility to maintain these memorials, but since the Franklin statue had been a gift to the city, it was left to the local government to carry out this task. Local officials said they had neither the funds nor reasoning to pay for the statue's upkeep. During the 1960s and 1970s, federal officials and the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation made plans and carried out massive changes to the portion of Pennsylvania Avenue between the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

and the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. In 1974, a portion of D Street was closed and made into a public space. This necessitated the moving of Franklin's statue. The new spot chosen for the statue was in front of the Old Post Office, due to Franklin being America's first Postmaster General. The relocation took place in late 1980. The statue of Franklin is one of fourteen American Revolution statues that were collectively listed on the

(NRHP) on July 14, 1978. The following year the statues were added to the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites. In addition, the Franklin statue is a

to the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site, listed on the NRHP on October 15, 1966, and the L'Enfant Plan, listed on April 24, 1997.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Benjamin (Jouvenal) 1889 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1889 sculptures American Revolution Statuary District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites Historic district contributing properties in Washington, D.C. Marble sculptures in Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Relocated buildings and structures in Washington, D.C.