All’s Well Bell, San Francisco, California

San Francisco artist Paul Kos is pictured with the 9 ton “All’s Well Bell” just after it has been lifted from the casting pit and prior to its polishing and tuning.

The bell is at the hub of artwork the San Francisco Art Commission selected Paul Kos to create for a community plaza adjacent to the building. The site will house the San Francisco Police Department Command Center Headquarters, the Southern District Police Station, and a new fire station.

After being awarded the commission, Kos searched for an icon that would conceptually link the police and fire departments. His research uncovered the fact that while both fire and police vehicles have sirens, every San Francisco fire truck also carries a cast bronze bell. This knowledge motivated Kos to design a 22,000 pound, cast bronze bell that will ring three times daily: at 15 seconds before noon, noon, and 15 seconds after noon, to let the community know that all’s well. Kos named the sculpture “The All is Well Bell,” with the intention of creating a significant counterpoint to the warnings denoted by fire and police bells and sirens.