Statue of Benjamin Franklin (San Francisco)

The bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin standing in Washington Square is the oldest existing monument in San Francisco. It was commissioned in 1879 by Henry Cogswell, a wealthy dentist and passionate temperance advocate who wanted to curb the city's love for alcohol. Cogswell famously aimed to install one drinking fountain for every one hundred saloons in San Francisco, and this monument was designed specifically to provide clean water to the public as a virtuous alternative to beer. Although the original spigots that once dispensed water to thirsty passersby have long since been removed, the granite base still bears inscriptions referencing famous California mineral springs, a reminder of the founder's crusade.