Franklin Square (Philadelphia)
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| Franklin Square | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Race and 6th Sts. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1683 |
| Architect: | Thomas Holme |
| Added to NRHP: | September 14, 1981 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 81000556[1] |
| MPS: | Four Public Squares of Philadelphia TR |
| Governing body: | Local |
Franklin Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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[edit] History
Originally called Northeast Square, Franklin Square was renamed in 1825, to honor Benjamin Franklin, one of the most prominent Founding Fathers of the United States and a leading printer, scientist, inventor, civic activist and diplomat. The myth persists that Franklin conducted his famous "kite and key" experiment on this spot, no doubt encouraged by the presence of Bolt of Lightning, Isamu Noguchi’s the massive steel sculpture that faces the Square across 6th Street and erected in 1984.
In its early years, the square was an open common used for grazing animals, storing gun powder (during the American Revolution) drilling soldiers (during the War of 1812). From 1741 to 1835, a portion of the Square was used as a cemetery by the German Reform Church; some of the graves still remain.
In the 1920s, a series of events corresponding with the rise of the automobile initiated the decline of the Square and its surrounding neighborhood. The construction of the Ben Franklin Bridge, from 1922-26, leveled blocks of buildings; the Bridge begins at the Square’s eastern boundary, 6th Street. The steady flow of cars over the bridge made the Square’s northern boundary, Vine Street, into one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, effectively cutting off pedestrian access on two of the Square's sides. The neighborhood’s residential character was further eroded by the federal government’s plans to establish Independence Mall: in the 1950s and 1960s, the government acquired the private land below Race Street. The construction of the Vine Street Expressway in the late 1980s exacerbated the problem. In 1961, architecture writer Jane Jacobs labeled Franklin Square a “skid row park,” a description that fit for over four decades. Franklin Square had become the least-used of Penn’s original five squares, mainly an encampment for the homeless.
In 1976, the city dedicated the Living Flame Memorial to the city's fallen policemen and firefighters, centered on a sculpture by local sculptor Reginald E. Beauchamp.
The park was refurbished and rededicated in July 2006, Franklin’s tercentenary year, by Once Upon A Nation and Fairmount Park. Complete with the Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel, Philly Miniature Golf, new playgrounds and a restored 19th-century fountain, Franklin Square is now touted as an entertainment destination near Independence National Historical Park.
[edit] Gallery
 Bolt of Lightning... A Memorial to Benjamin Franklin by Isamu Noguchi. |
 Reginald E. Beauchamp's 1976 Living Flame Memorial to city police and firefighters. Location: |
 Philadelphia Police Department HQ at 8th Street and Race, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
 Franklin Square NRHP Plaque |
 Franklin Square burial plaque for the German Reformed Church of the United Church of Christ |
 Franklin Square mini golf |
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- Philadelphia Squares – Franklin Square. Fairmount Park Commission. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
- Philadelphia Squares – Franklin Square. www.ushistory.org. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
- Forlorn Franklin Park. Philadelphia City Paper. Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
[edit] See also
- Franklin Square (PATCO station)
- Once Upon A Nation
- Fairmount Park Commission, City of Philadelphia
- Franklin Square (Philadelphia) is at coordinates Coordinates:
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