In the center of the Square, surrounded by six Lombardy poplars, is the statue of Benjamin Franklin, which was given to the City in 1879 by Dr. Henry Cogswell, a tee-totaling dentist who intended to donate a public water drinking fountain for every hundred bars, a project which proved impossible. It is no longer a water fountain, but the base reads "Welcome" on all four sides and is dedicated, "To Our Boys and Girls, Who Will Soon Take Our Places and Pass On." The statue was moved to the Square from Kearny Street in 1904. It has a time capsule, which was opened in 1979, and will be again in 2079.
Monuments
Links: sanfranciscoparksalliance.org
By: kjfitz
