San Francisco Bay needs a ‘Statue of Liberty,’ or so thinks Ross Calvin, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and founder of the bitcoin mining firm Parhelion. He has expressed his intention to formally submit a project to build a statue on Alcatraz Island. This would involve creating a colossal statue of the Greek titan Prometheus on Alcatraz Island, with the aim of transforming the San Francisco skyline.
There have been ambitious plans for a major American city to build a 137-meter-tall statue that would rival the Statue of Liberty
According to the businessman, during a visit to San Francisco in 2018, he was watching the sunset and noticed something was missing, as he explained in an interview with Bloomberg. He realized that what was missing was a statue, like the Statue of Liberty in New York, but larger and more imposing. Calvin intends to erect a 450-foot-tall (approximately 137 meters) monument, dubbed “American Colossus,” dedicated to the mythological figure of Prometheus. There have been ambitious plans for a major American city to build a 137-meter-tall statue that would rival the Statue of Liberty. Now, Ross Calvin wants to bring that project to fruition. However, despite the businessman’s efforts, the project has only raised $5 on its website.
The project it also envisions an adjacent underground museum, called the Prometheion Museum
Based on current information, the enormous bust would be made of a nickel-bronze alloy and would cost around $450 million. The project wouldn’t just include the colossal statue; it also envisions an adjacent underground museum, called the Prometheion Museum, which would explore the links between myth, innovation, and “human freedom,” according to the project’s creator, Ross Calvin.
Any attempt to erect a monumental structure there would require specific permits
Ross Calvin’s proposal is complex because if his intention is to create the gigantic statue on Alcatraz Island, he will need to comply with a series of environmental requirements. Any attempt to erect a monumental structure there would require specific permits, as it is owned by the United States government and has heritage and historical protections. Calvin, for his part, has stated that his goal is to present digital renderings of the statue, as well as a formal proposal, to President Donald Trump early next year.
“Prometheus is kind of a patron saint of what it means to be American”
The fact is that Ross wants to transform Alcatraz into a symbol of freedom and innovation, despite the apparent obstacles to the project. According to his foundation’s website, the proposed monument would be taller than the 93-meter-tall Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor and would serve as a symbol of optimism. “Prometheus is kind of a patron saint of what it means to be American,” Ross said in the Bloomberg interview, explaining the meaning behind the colossal statue.
We’ll have to wait until 2026, when Ross formally presents the proposal
For now, the idea of ’The Colossus of Human Triumph & Freedom in San Francisco Bay,’ as Ross describes it on his website, is just a project on paper. What is clear is that the colossus raises the question of what kind of monuments the United States wants to create to commemorate this era in the future. In Ross’s view, “The West is where original things come about, and that’s very rare in the history of humanity, and we have to preserve the social structures that make it possible.” Ultimately, we’ll have to wait until 2026, when Ross formally presents the proposal, to see what becomes of the project. It’s worth remembering that Trump is one of the biggest proponents of epic construction projects in epic cities, so convincing him won’t be easy, although with the right idea, the project might just move forward.
