This monument is to be seen as a sculptural form that is designed to look good close-up — in terms of the quality of its detail and its friendly scale — and to read well from a distance — in terms of its vivid imagery and bold scale.

America's 500 year anniversary

This form works also as a symbol; it refers to the obelisk as a traditional and accepted urban device, both American and Italian.

But it is an obelisk in modern form in the lightness of its structure and materials — cantilevered stainless steel sheets that work as diaphragms — and in the light it emits — to effect a kind of lantern at night and be a 24-hour monument.

The base of this form and the surrounding paving is made up of granite with patterns and inscriptions in color. As a monument it is virtually maintenance-free except for the lighting and it is pigeon-resistant.

It is designed both to accommodate to and enhance its particular context along the Delaware River in Philadelphia.