Beneath our feet lies a tale of turtles and treasures. Right here stands the Concrete Turtle Sculpture. But this isn’t just any sculpture. It’s a story etched in stone and second chances.
Huntington Park is nearby. It has a rich history tied to the Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad’s builders were some of San Francisco’s wealthiest men. They were Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford, and Mark Hopkins. Their names might sound familiar from the Nob Hill hotels.
The Concrete Turtle Sculpture is a copy of Rome’s Fontana della Tartarughe. That fountain was designed by Giacomo Della Porta and Taddeo Landini in 1583. William H. Crocker’s wife found this copy in a villa near Rome. William was Charles Crocker’s son and founder of the Crocker Bank. She bought it for her home in Hillsborough, California.
Later, the estate was sold. The Crocker heirs gave the sculpture to San Francisco. The Board of Supervisors accepted it on October 4, 1954. It was installed in Huntington Park in 1955. This Concrete Turtle Sculpture has seen its share of drama.
In 1984, the fountain was restored. Vandals had stolen the four turtles. The restoration included recasting them. The castings came from a similar fountain. That fountain was at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Headquarters in Sarasota, Florida.
The Crocker estate in San Francisco had an unfortunate incident. It was destroyed during the fire of 1906. The land was then given to Grace Cathedral. The cathedral’s front doors face Huntington Park.
We don’t know who sculpted this Concrete Turtle Sculpture copy. But if you want to learn about the original Fontana della Tartarughe, you can do so by doing some research.
The City of San Francisco Art Commission owns this piece. It’s a testament to art’s journey. It’s also a symbol of resilience. The Concrete Turtle Sculpture reminds us that even stolen pieces can be restored. They can be given a new home. It stands as a quirky piece of history. It has traveled from Rome to a circus and finally here.