The whispers started quietly, then grew into a roar. A Bitcoin mining entrepreneur has a vision, one that stretches 450 feet into the San Francisco sky, right from the rocky shores of Alcatraz Island. This isn’t a drill. It is a serious proposal, first reported by Bloomberg, for a monument of truly colossal scale.
- A Bitcoin mining entrepreneur named Ross Calvin proposes a 450-foot statue of Prometheus on Alcatraz Island, costing $450 million.
- The project requires re-classifying Alcatraz as a national monument and is being spearheaded by Calvin’s nonprofit, American Colossus.
- Calvin’s background includes early Bitcoin mining and operating significant compute capacity in the Middle East, contrasting with a recent failed Prometheus memecoin.
Ross Calvin, the head of a Bitcoin mining firm called Parhelion, stands behind this ambitious plan. He wants to build a statue of Prometheus, the Greek titan who brought fire to humanity. The price tag for such a project? A cool $450 million. It’s a sum that makes you pause, especially when considering its proposed home.
A Monumental Vision for Alcatraz
Alcatraz, as you might know, is famous for its decommissioned prison. It’s currently a national park, a place of history and quiet reflection. For Calvin’s statue to rise there, President Trump would need to re-classify the island as a national monument. That’s a significant hurdle, to say the least.
Imagine the scale. This Prometheus would be made from a nickel-bronze alloy. It would stand 450 feet tall. To put that in perspective, the Statue of Liberty measures 305 feet. This new titan would also reach more than half the height of the Golden Gate Bridge’s tallest points, which are 746 feet above the water. It would truly dominate the bay.
Calvin is pushing this project through his nonprofit, American Colossus. The group describes the proposed statue as “a lightning rod for the noble destiny of the West.” They call it “America’s monument to beauty, heroism, ingenuity, and manifest destiny.” These are grand words for a very grand idea.
The nonprofit aims to present a detailed pitch to President Trump by the end of January. This pitch will include renderings of the monument. It will also outline plans for an on-site museum. It seems no detail is too small for a project of this magnitude.
From Bitcoin Rigs to Bronze Titans
So, who is Ross Calvin? His company, Parhelion, is based in Denver. It operates 25 megawatts (MW) of compute capacity (the raw power for processing data, like mining Bitcoin) in Kurdish Iraq. Parhelion’s website also notes additional capacity under development in Syria, Egypt, Libya, and Algeria. Calvin himself began mining Bitcoin back in 2013, an early adopter in the crypto space.
This background in Bitcoin mining provides the financial muscle, or at least the ambition, for such a project. It’s a fascinating blend of cutting-edge digital finance and ancient mythological aspirations. One might wonder what Prometheus, the giver of fire, would make of digital currency.
The journey from mining Bitcoin in far-flung locales to pitching a national monument is quite a leap. It speaks to the kind of wealth and influence that can accumulate in the crypto world. It also shows a certain kind of vision, perhaps one that sees no limit to what can be built with enough capital and conviction.
A Memecoin’s Fading Echo
Not all of Calvin’s ventures have soared to such heights. In mid-July 2025, he launched a Prometheus memecoin. This token appeared through a launchpad called Believe. Memecoins, as you might know, are often created as a joke or to capitalize on internet trends. They rarely have deep utility.
This particular Prometheus token, however, failed to catch fire. Its current market capitalization hovers around a mere $12,000. That’s a tiny sum in the vast ocean of crypto. The American Colossus website addresses this experiment with a rather casual tone. “We casually experimented with a digital token on BelieveApp,” they explain. “We had no expectations for it and quickly moved on.”
It’s a curious contrast. A $450 million statue proposal stands alongside a $12,000 failed memecoin. It’s almost as if the digital world offered a small, quick test of public interest, which then utterly fizzled. Perhaps some ideas are just too grand for a simple token.
There was also a brief connection to alt-right philosopher Jason Jorjani. He once announced his involvement in the project. However, he is no longer listed as a team member on the nonprofit’s website. These details add layers to the story, showing the various threads that can intertwine with such a public and ambitious undertaking.
This Prometheus statue project, then, is more than just a building plan. It is a statement. It’s a bold declaration from the crypto world, mixing ancient mythology with modern ambition, all set against the iconic backdrop of San Francisco Bay. What it ultimately becomes, or if it even breaks ground, remains a story still being written.
