It was designed by Swedish sculptor Claes Oldenburg, who specialized in creating oversize sculptures of everyday objects.
When The Button was installed in front of the Van Pelt Library on June 18, 1981, it was met with much controversy.
Controversy surrounding the piece has subsided in the years since 1981, but either way, it is now a central landmark and focal point of campus.
[1] In The Simpsons, The Button can be seen on the college green of fictional Springfield University as Homer performs in a Nirvana-like band in the 2008 episode "That 90's Show".
A monument of a seated Franklin stands near the sculpture; legend has it that when this man of considerable girth sat down, his vest button popped off and rolled across the university's Locust Walk.