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Golden Boy

Golden Boy is the humorous name for a statue that has served as a symbol of AT&T and the former Western Electric since 1914. Originally called The Genius of Electricity, it was renamed The Spirit of Telecommunications in the 1930s. Designed by Evelyn Beatrice Longwood in 1914 and installed in 1916, the statue stands about eight meters tall and weighs more than 16 tons. It depicts a young winged man on tiptoe, holding a cable in one hand and a bundle of lightning bolts in the other. Cast in bronze and gilded with more than 40,000 pieces of gold leaf, it became a widely recognized emblem of the Bell System and later moved from Manhattan to Madison Avenue, then to Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and finally to Dallas, Texas.

Golden Boy statue of a winged male figure holding lightning bolts and a coiled cable in Dallas.
The Golden Boy sculpture stands against the Dallas skyline outside AT&T headquarters.
July 2021 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Golden Boy sculpture: a reflective golden winged man holding a lightning bolt and cable forms above a sphere
The Golden Boy sculpture gleams in a modern interior, with the winged figure standing atop a sphere.
2009 © · Public domain
Golden Boy statue being hoisted by cables, with wooden bracing and workers below guiding the lift.
Golden Boy is shown being raised into position, supported by cables and wooden bracing as workers guide the lift.
1913 © George Grantham Bain Collection · Public domain
Golden Boy statue being hoisted by cables and a wooden framework with workers below.
Golden Boy is hoisted into place with cables and a wooden support frame.
1913 © George Grantham Bain Collection · Public domain
Spirit of Communication, a winged male figure standing on a globe with lightning bolts and coiled cables
Spirit of Communication shows a winged figure standing atop a globe, symbolizing the spread of communication.
1914 © · Public domain

Identification

TitleSpirit of Communication
NicknameGolden Boy
TypeStatue
Former namesGenius of Telegraphy; Genius of Electricity; Spirit of Telecommunications; Spirit of Electricity

Historical context

Subject/themeCommunication, telegraphy, and electricity
SymbolismSymbol of AT&T and the former Western Electric; widely recognized trademark of the Bell System telephone companies

Creator

ArtistEvelyn Beatrice Longman
Commissioned1914
Completed1916

Discovery and provenance

Initial installationInstalled in 1916
CompetitionWinning design in a competition
Original installation siteRoof of AT&T Corporate Headquarters at 195 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City
Commissioned for195 Broadway, New York City

Physical characteristics

Subject depictedA young man standing on tiptoes with wings
AttributesA cable in the right hand and a bundle of lightning bolts in the left hand
HeightAbout 8 metres
WeightMore than 14.5 tonnes (16 short tons); also described as more than 16 tonnes
Wing spanWings extend from the body; exact measurement not given

Materials

GildingCovered with gold leaf; sources give more than 12,500 pieces or more than 40,000 pieces
MaterialBronze

Appearance

Iconographic referenceResembles ancient depictions of Zeus

Location and ownership

Corporate historyIts moves were tied to the breakup of the Bell System, the sale of AT&T's New York City headquarters to Sony in 1992, and AT&T's later relocations
Current corporate headquartersAT&T's headquarters in downtown Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Current locationAT&T Discovery District, Downtown Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Later locations in DallasInstalled in Whitacre Tower, then moved to the AT&T Discovery District in Downtown Dallas
Relocation in 2009Removed from Bedminster Township by the new AT&T and moved to Dallas, Texas
Relocation in 2002Moved from AT&T's Basking Ridge property to Bedminster Township, New Jersey
Duration in Basking RidgeStayed there for the next ten years
Relocation by 1992Moved with the company headquarters to Basking Ridge, New Jersey; installed in front of the main entrance
Relocation reasonCould not be placed on the roof of the new building
Relocation in 1984Moved to AT&T's new headquarters at 550 Madison Avenue, Midtown Manhattan; placed in a specially designed niche and later in the foyer
Original location durationAt the original site until 1984

Significance

RankNew York City's second-largest sculpture after the Statue of Liberty

Other

Association with publicationsIn the 1928, 1938, and 1941 editions of Principles of Electricity applied to Telephone and Telegraph Work, it was referred to as Spirit of Electricity
Comparable workThe competition was similar to the 1917 Bell Telephone Memorial
Commissioned underAT&T president Theodore N. Vail