Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, PA. It is named after the scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin.

Founded in 1824, the Franklin Institute is one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States. Today, it is the most visited museum in Pennsylvania.

BF National Memorial in Rotunda

The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial is located in the rotunda of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

It its center is a dramatic 20-ft-high marble statue of Benjamin Franklin. Sculpted by James Earle Fraser, the statue is crafted of white Seravezza marble and weighs 30 tons:

It sits on a 92-ton pedestal of Rose Aurora veined marble from Portugal. Opened in 1938, the rotunda was modeled after Rome’s Pantheon. It measures 82 ft in LXWXH, thus a cube and rotunda with a 4-sided pyramid on the top.

The domed ceiling is self-supporting and weighs 1600 tons. The floors, walls, columns, pilasters, and cornices are made of rare marbles from Portugal, Italy, and France.

In 1972, the Memorial was designated by the US Congress as the official national memorial to Benjamin Franklin.