Originally conceived in 1933 to stand in Fairmount Park, Isamu Noguchi's "Bolt of Lightning" wouldn't be built for half a century. The 58-ton sculpture refers to the famous experiment in which Franklin flew a kite in an electrical storm. The idea was revived in 1979 and the Fairmount Park Art Association gave Noguchi (1904 - 1988) the choice of location.
For the 106-foot sculpture he chose Memorial Park, the nearly unreachable plaza at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge. That big triangular "park" was originally designed to be an underground trolley transfer hub, but was never completed.
With some city money and a grant from the Widener estate, the $865,000 sculpture was built and was dedicated on September 16th, 1984.
model for Bolt of Lightning artist & his work
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