Logan Square in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Swann Memorial Fountain

1924

— Alexander Stirling Calder (1870-1945) —

Swann Memorial Fountain Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Larry Gertner, September 2014

1. Swann Memorial Fountain Marker

Inscription.
In the tradition of “river god” sculpture, three bronze figures of Native Americans symbolize Philadelphia waterways. The man represents the Delaware River. The mature woman is the Schuylkill River, and the young woman is the Wissahickon Creek.

The Philadelphia Fountain Society donated this masterpiece to the City of Philadelphia to honor the society’s founder, Dr. Wilson Cary Swann. Architect Wilson Eyre worked with sculptor Alexander Stirling Calder, whose father had created William Penn and other sculptures at City Hall. Notice the large swans – a pun on Dr. Swann’s name.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.

Location. 39° 57.445′ N, 75° 10.245′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Logan Square. It can be reached from Benjamin Franklin Parkway near Logan Square, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia PA 19103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Parkway Museums District (a few steps from this marker); Connecting People to Nature (within shouting distance of this marker); Meriwether Lewis (within shouting

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distance of this marker); US Sanitary Commission Great Central Fair (within shouting distance of this marker); Logan Square (within shouting distance of this marker); Tribute Trees Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The City Plan of Philadelphia (within shouting distance of this marker); Pope John Paul II (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.

Also see . . .
1. Swann Memorial Fountain. Wikipedia entry. (Submitted on April 16, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. Swann Memorial Fountain (1924) by Alexander Stirling Calder (1870 - 1945). "Association for Public Art" entry. (Submitted on April 16, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 24, 2025

2. Swann Memorial Fountain Marker

Swann Memorial Fountain image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Larry Gertner, September 2014

3. Swann Memorial Fountain

Adjacent signage explaining the landscape architecture of Logan Square image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 24, 2025

4. Adjacent signage explaining the landscape architecture of Logan Square

Credits. This page was last revised on January 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2017, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 623 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 13, 2017, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 2. submitted on January 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on August 13, 2017, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 4. submitted on January 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.