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Sometimes Ben Franklin's life just does not seem real. Inventor of bifocals. The first to harness electricity. And not least of all a founder of our nation. The title “Keys to the Community” is a pretty lame name for the 9-foot tall James Peniston sculpture in his image. That said, the bust itself simultaneously honors one of Philadelphia's greatest icons, Benjamin Franklin, and the everyday heroes whose jobs were once only a baby brainchild of Franklin: Philadelphia firefighters.

To summarize the connection, for those interested in that sort of thing, can tell you why there is a connection between Franklin and firefighting. Following a horrendous fire that devastated Fishbourn's Wharf along the Delaware River, Franklin suggested the fire's destruction was easily avoidable. Franklin proposed a "Club or Society of active Men belonging to each Fire Engine; whose Business is to attend all Fires with it whenever they happen," and 6 years later he established the first volunteer fire brigade, Union Fire Company. In 2008 his giant effigy attends to the volunteers who continue this work.

Area schoolchildren collected more than 1,000 keys to comprise the giant bust of Franklin. Similar to its predecessor, 1971's "Penny Benny," the community was responsible for providing the raw materials for this art project--keys and pennies respectably. It has a formidable presence on the corner of 4th & Arch Streets, within earshot of a volunteer firefighters' Old City base. Teetering atop the south wall of Girard Fountain Park—a little squeak of a park at 325 Arch Street, the bronze bust replaced the worse-for-wear Penny Benny in a ceremony held on October 5, 2007.