Girard Fountain Park facts for kids
Girard Fountain Park is a small, 0.15-acre (610 m2) park located in the historic Old City area of Philadelphia. You can find it at 325 Arch Street. This park is open to everyone during the day and is looked after by the Philadelphia Fire Department. It's a peaceful spot where people can relax and enjoy the outdoors.
Contents
How the Park Started
The park was created in the mid-1960s. Before it was a park, there were several old buildings on this spot. These buildings were torn down to make way for new developments. A fire station was built right next to where the park is now, and the land at 325 Arch Street was cleared to become the park.
In 1976, the park got some money for improvements. This money came from a special fund set up by a famous banker named Stephen Girard (1750–1831). He wanted to help improve areas close to the Delaware River, and Girard Fountain Park was one of those places.
The Penny Franklin Sculpture
In 1971, a unique sculpture of Benjamin Franklin was placed at the front of the park. It was made by a local artist named Reginald E. Beauchamp. This sculpture, called Penny Franklin, was very special because it was covered with almost 80,000 pennies! These pennies were collected from schoolchildren in the area. The sculpture also had a button you could push to hear a two-minute speech about fire safety.
Penny Franklin was officially shown to the public on June 10, 1971, by Mary Brooks, who was the Director of the United States Mint. For about 20 years, this sculpture, also known as Penny Benny, was one of Philadelphia's most famous landmarks.
Why Penny Franklin Was Removed
Over time, the Penny Franklin sculpture started to wear out. It became old and was no longer safe. The firefighters from the station next door even had to use ropes to keep it from falling onto the sidewalk! In 1996, because it was in such bad shape, the sculpture was taken down and moved to city storage.
The Keys To Community Sculpture
In 2003, the city decided to replace the old Penny Franklin sculpture. They asked an artist named James Peniston to create a new one. Peniston sculpted a bust (which is a sculpture of someone's head and shoulders) of Benjamin Franklin using bronze.
What Makes Keys To Community Special
The new sculpture, called Keys To Community, is very unique. It's covered with casts of 1,000 keys that were collected from local schoolchildren. This one-ton sculpture also includes brass nameplates that honor Philadelphia firefighters who lost their lives while on duty.
A big part of the money for this sculpture came from the Fire Department and from more than 1.5 million pennies donated by schoolchildren from 500 schools! The Keys To Community sculpture was officially unveiled and dedicated on October 5, 2007.
Restoring the Park
By the mid-1990s, Girard Fountain Park itself had become a bit run-down. The gate was often kept locked by the Fire Department, so people couldn't easily use it.
Bringing the Park Back to Life
Around 2005, some local residents, including Janet Kalter and Joe Schiavo, started a project to restore the park. Thanks to their efforts, the park was brought back into public use. After the new sculpture was dedicated, Fire Department officials agreed to help fix up the fountain in the park.
Work on the fountain began in June 2008, and it was working again by August. The Fire Department officially celebrated the fountain's return to service in a ceremony on November 1. Today, the park also has a horseshoes pit for people to enjoy.
