Crypto Investor Proposes 450-Foot Statue of Greek God on Alcatraz Island

A crypto investor has unveiled an audacious plan to reshape San Francisco Bay’s skyline with a 450-foot statue of the Greek god Prometheus towering over Alcatraz Island.

Ross Calvin, who runs a Bitcoin mining business with operations in the Middle East, says he was inspired during a 2018 visit to the Bay Area when he noticed the sunset was missing one thing: a Statue of Liberty–style monument. His answer is a gleaming, nickel-bronze Titan who defied the gods to give humans fire, which he calls a symbol of “the fundamental dynamism that defines the West.”

The proposed monument would stand taller than Lady Liberty by nearly 150 feet, making Prometheus’ head visible above the Golden Gate Bridge. Calvin estimates the project would cost around $450 million and include a technology museum on Alcatraz Island.

Before construction could begin, Alcatraz, which is currently a national park, would need to be reclassified as a national monument. That would require presidential approval. Calvin paused the project during the Biden administration but says he hopes to present the plan to Donald Trump’s team by early next year.

Calvin describes Prometheus as the “patron saint of what it means to be American,” embodying ingenuity and rebellion. Critics, however, question the symbolism and potential political overtones of placing such a monument on a historic prison island in one of America’s most liberal cities.

If built, the colossal statue would be visible from nearly every corner of the Bay, an unmistakable new icon and one sure to spark debate over art, power, and the myths America chooses to celebrate.