Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Metal Ribbon Ben Franklin
A too-clever sculpture of Ben Franklin's giant head, Big Ben is made of strips of disconnected metal with adjacent chubby lightning bolts and kites.
- Address:
- 267-295 N. 17th St ., Philadelphia, PA
- Directions:
- Center City. At the intersection of N. 17th and Vine Sts, on the bridge over sunken I-676.
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Philadelphia has a lot of sculptures devoted to its favorite son, Ben Franklin, and none are as strange as this one. It was installed in 1992 by Miles and Generalis Studios of Philadelphia, and is named "Big Ben." It features a large version of his head, but instead of being solid, it is made of many strips of metal. Depending on where you stand, you may not see Ben Franklin at all. The head is flanked by four rather large lightning bolts, and archways at both ends of the installation are made of kites attached to giant keys. [signmanjoe, 08/30/2018]
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