Statue of Benjamin Franklin (Portland, Oregon)

Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin Location in Portland, Oregon
Artist	George Berry
Year	1942 (1942)
Type	Sculpture
Subject	Benjamin Franklin
Dimensions	4.6 m (15 ft)
Location	Portland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates	45.50279°N 122.60689°W / 45.50279; -122.60689
Owner	Franklin High School

Benjamin Franklin is an outdoor 1942 sculpture depicting the Founding Father of the same name by George Berry, installed outside Franklin High School, in Portland, Oregon's South Tabor neighborhood, in the United States.

Description and history

The sculpture was one of two Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects benefitting Franklin between 1939 and 1942; the other was the construction of the school's athletic field. The statue was funded by Franklin alumni and students, who raised $15,000 to commission an artist from the Federal Art Project, one of WPA's five independent branches. George Berry and his team of assistants created a 40-ton sandstone statue of Franklin, which was erected at the school's north entrance, overlooking the athletic field, in 1942. Including its pedestal, the work measures 15-foot (4.6 m) tall. The pedestal includes built-in benches and the inscription: One today is worth two tomorrows.

See also

• 1942 in art

Further reading

• "Work Begins on New Field". The Oregonian. August 15, 1939.
• "Olden Dream Comes True: School Dedicates Franklin Statue". The Oregonian. May 9, 1942.

External links

• Benjamin Franklin, (sculpture). at the Smithsonian Institution
• Franklin Statute – Portland, OR at Waymarking
• Letter: Let's preserve the historic atmosphere of Franklin High School by Joyce (Pennie) Quinlin Gray (April 23, 2013), The Oregonian