FRANKLIN SQUARE

Like Logan Circle, Franklin Square is one of five public gardens that were part of the city plans designed by William Penn in 1682. In 1878, it was equipped with a fountain and was frequented by a wealthy population, in the same way as the district where it was located. Then it experienced a period of decline from the 1920s onwards, attracting the homeless and idle who had lost everything during the Great Depression. It was restored to its former glory in the early 2000s after three years of renovation. It now includes a carousel, mini-golf, playgrounds, and its original fountain has been renovated. The park also houses the Bolt of Lightning, a strange 30-metre-high steel work by artist Isamu Noguchi, which pays tribute to Benjamin Franklin and is sometimes referred to by residents as "the ugliest piece of art in Philadelphia ".