Lightning Bolt

A Tribute to Franklin, sculpture by Isamu Noguchi

Bolt of Lightning...A Memorial to Benjamin Franklin

Isamu Noguchi designed this 60-ton stainless steel sculpture. It is 101-feet tall and marks the axis of Independence Mall and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. It is situated at 5th Street and Vine, in a vest-pocket park. The sculpture depicts a bolt of lighting, a kite, and a key at the base.

kite4

Plaques within the park offer statistical information about the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and about the Noguchi kite.

Caution is advised to anyone wishing to view the kite up close and in person. The intrepid art-lover must cross 4 lanes of traffic to reach the sculpture — an electrifying experience in itself.

As you look straight up the sculpture you can envision the kite flying high in the Philadelphia sky, attracting the bolt of lightning that changed scientific understanding of electricity forever.

The Electric Franklin Home Page

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