Girard Fountain Park

Girard Fountain Park is a 0.15-acre pocket park in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 325 Arch Street. It is open to the public during daylight hours and is maintained by the Philadelphia Fire Department. [http://www.jepsculpture.com/benfranklin.shtml "James Peniston Sculpture: Work: "Keys To Community," 2007,"] retrieved 13 October 2007.] cite web| url=http://www.oldcity.org/news/view/43| title=Girard Fountain Park Now Re-open to Public! | accessdate=2008-08-29 ]

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. [http://www.jepsculpture.com/ben-location.shtml "James Peniston Sculpture: Location: "Keys To Community," 2007,"] retrieved 29 October 2007.]

In 1971, a sculpture of Benjamin Franklin by local sculptor Reginald E. Beauchamp was installed atop the park's front wall. It was made of acrylic and covered with almost 80,000 pennies 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. [http://www.jepsculpture.com/ben-pennyfranklin.shtml "James Peniston Sculpture: "Penny Franklin"] retrieved 29 October 2007.] "Penny Franklin" was unveiled on June 10, 1971, by U.S. Mint Director Mary Brooks. [http://www.usmint.gov/historianscorner/index.cfm?action=docDetail&id=227 "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. [http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/sceneonroad/2007/10/big_heads.html "Big Heads," Scene on the Road] , 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.]

In 2003, the city's public arts agency commissioned sculptor James Peniston to replace the older work. Peniston sculpted a bust of Franklin in bronze 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. [http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=18897538&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=6 "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 around 2005 and 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 formally restored to operation in August.

"Not to be confused with Stephen Girard Park in south Philadelphia."

External links

* [http://www.jepsculpture.com/ben-location.shtml A history of the park's location] at jepsculpture.com.
* [http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Detail.aspx?assetId=1662&tab=Information Photo of buildings demolished to clear parkland, November 20, 1959] , PhillyHistory.org.
* [http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Detail.aspx?assetId=3786&tab=Information Photo of rear wall under construction, December 14, 1967] , PhillyHistory.org.
* [http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Detail.aspx?assetId=167&tab=Information Photo of park front and 323 Arch Street before construction of front wall, May 11, 1968] , PhillyHistory.org.
* [http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Detail.aspx?assetId=4394&tab=Information Photo of rear wall, completed, March 30, 1969] , PhillyHistory.org.
* [http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Detail.aspx?assetId=1884&tab=Information Photo of front wall with "Penny Franklin" sculpture, May 11, 1977] , PhillyHistory.org.
* [http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=%22keys+to+community%22&m=text Photos of "Keys To Community," 3 October 2007] , Flickr.com.
* [http://www.philart.net/art.php?id=535 "Keys To Community"'s entry] at Philadelphia Public [e-mail].
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/14944494@N06/sets/72157606996041485/ Before-and-after photos of restored park] , August 2008, Flickr.com.

References