Franklin Bridge Lions, (sculpture).

Franklin Bridge Lions, (sculpture).

Unknown, sculptor.

Franklin Bridge Lions, (sculpture).

1873. Dedicated Aug. 1873.

Lions: painted sand cast iron; Bases: concrete.

4 lions. Lions: each approx. 30 x 30 x 78 in.; Bases: each approx. 68 x 42 x 90 in.

(Two identical plaques on base at each side of bridge, raised:) (seal of Ohio)/TO PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE/OF OUR CITIZENS/FEDERAL, STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENTS/HAVE WORKED HAND IN HAND/ON THIS IMPROVEMENT/ERECTED BY/OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS/1935/(list of names, agencies, and associations)/DEDICATED DECEMBER 13, 1933 unsigned

Four golden male lions are grouped into two pairs, each pair consisting of a watchful lion and a sleeping lion. The lions lie atop bases on the piers of the four corners of the Franklin Bridge, each pair flanking either side of the roadway crossing the bridge.

State of Being -- Other -- Sleep

Allegory -- Other -- Vigilance

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Franklin

Administered by City of Franklin, City Manager's Office, 35 East 4th Street, Franklin, Ohio 45005

Located Franklin Bridge, West Second Street between Miami Avenue and River Street, on either side of both piers, Franklin, Ohio

The lions were donated by the J. W. Shipman Company, who built the old Franklin Suspension Bridge in 1872-73. The suspension bridge was replaced by a concrete bridge in 1933 and the lions were placed on the new bridge. In 1933 and in 1992, the lions were also repaired. During the 1992 repairs, the lions were sand-blasted and spray-painted gold. IAS files contain related excerpt from Mabel Eldrige's "The History of Franklin in the Great Miami Valley," Franklin, OH: Franklin Area Historical Society, 1982, pg. 54-57, 167, which contains photos of the lions and the bridge, including a historic photograph of the lions on the old bridge. IAS files also contain a related unidentified article.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio, Cincinnati survey, 1994.

Eldridge, Mary, et. al., "The History of Franklin in the Great Miami Valley," Franklin, OH: Franklin Area Historical Society, 1982, pg. 56.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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