During 1888, the area where you could now see the Skidmore Fountain sits which is a few blocks away inward from the Waterfront Park, just right underneath the iconic Burnside Bridge. The place was importantly known as the center of Portland. When Stephen Skidmore, who was a turn-of-the-century druggist that had arrived in Oregon by way of a covered wagon, passed away, it was later then discovered that he was able to left an amount of $5,000 in his will, which was a princely sum during that time. The money was for a Portland fountain to be named posthumously for his honor. Interestingly, there is a rumor that spreads during that time that he has instructed that the Skidmore Fountain would be intended for the use of the “horses, men and dogs.”
However, the Skidmore Fountain has somehow caused a bit of controversy at that time, or perhaps the Skidmore Fountain at least had gained a bit of “good old’” publicity as they say, right about as soon as it was dedicated to him. It would have seemed that the sculpture in the Skidmore Fountain was seen as a tad to be too elegant for the likes of someone that came from the U.S. east coast. The Skidmore Fountain was thought to be a bit too cosmopolitan for the backwoods frontier town; people have viewed Portland to be like that at the time. Perhaps to be able to help prove their point, the local brewing legend named Henry Weinhard immediately and also good-naturedly offered at the Skidmore Fountain’s dedication the ceremony to pump a fresh beer through the Skidmore Fountain for free however the chairman of the Fountain Committee graciously declined it.
The Salmon Street Springs Fountain is described as one of Portland’s “guessing fountains”— since it teases its viewers with the combinations or perhaps variations of spray patterns — The Salmon Street Springs Fountain thrills the young as well as the old residents and the visitors alike. On sunny summer days, you would often see a lot of people of all ages— including those who are in business attire from the nearby downtown district, strolling or even running through the fountain, whether they are simply teasing the timing of the jets or perhaps they deliberately want to get soaked.
The Salmon Street Springs Fountain is the centerpiece of all of Portland’s Waterfront Park together with the beautiful Willamette River, The Salmon Street Springs Fountain was originally dedicated in the year 1988, however it was not officially named until a contest was done in 1989. The Salmon Street Springs Fountain was designed by Robert Perron who was a known Landscape Architects and Planner, The Salmon Street Springs Fountain is being controlled by an underground computer that constantly changes the pattern of The Salmon Street Springs Fountain 185 water jets.
Interestingly, The Salmon Street Springs Fountain has three cycles they are named “Misters,” “Bollards” and the “Wedding Cake.”
During 2004, the Water Bureau has project to replace all of the old cast-iron piping of The Salmon Street Springs Fountain with heavy-duty PVC throughout the main drain vault of The Salmon Street Springs Fountain. At full capacity, The Salmon Street Springs Fountain recycles 4,924 gallons of water per minute through as many as 137 jets at any one time.
Just like a lot of the fountains that has spread throughout Kansas City, the
Thomas H. Swope Memorial Fountain was constructed to honor a person that had made an important impact onto the development of Kansas City. For the city more known as “The City of Fountains,” the fountain would be a very logical form of tribute. At this point, the person in question here is Colonel Thomas H. Swope; he is a successful land developer that has made charitable donations into the city of Kansas that has helped make it what it is now seen today.
It was Swope’s wish that he is to be buried in the Swope Park. The Swope Memorial however was not ready until the year 1918. The memorial actually includes the water fountain, the Thomas H. Swope Memorial Fountain was designed by the architecture firm Wight and Wight, and the landscape of the park was under architect George Kessler. Swope’s remains were actually buried under a stone slab located at the center of the terrace that consist his memorial in the Park. A brass relief of his face can be seen affixed into the wall located at the inside of the mausoleum.
The simple Thomas H. Swope Memorial Fountain, was dedicated in 1922, is made up of a stone bowl that has water pouring into in to a basin. The water in the Thomas H. Swope Memorial Fountain falls gently, and it also has a striking contrast to the riotous water displays that you could see in other parts of the beautiful city of Kansas.
Kansas City, it is known as “The City of Fountains” although there is one outdoor fountain in Kansas that has been regarded as the most famous as well as the most frequently photographed fountain. This is the
J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain was dedicated in 1960, and however the history of the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain began decades earlier than that.
Jesse Clyde Nichols or he is usually known as J.C. Nichols, was an important developer in the city of Kansas who lived from 1880 to 1950. J.C Nichols developments figured the prominently into the expansion as well as the appearance of Kansas City of today. J.C Nichols was also the person responsible for the building of Country Club Plaza which is now known as the first suburban shopping area that can be found in the United States.
The J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain is made up of a pool that has an 80-foot diameter. It has a four mounted figures that is standing over a 10 foot high ring and a two-tiered basin located at the center of the pool. However, the actual meaning of the four figures in the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain is not clear; some had thought it that the figures represents four of the world’s great rivers these are, the Rhine, Seine, Mississippi and the Volga. The figure in J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain that represents the Mississippi is in a form of a mounted Native American that is throwing a spear towards the open mouth of another figure. The smaller figures of children riding dolphins in the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain also found in the ring at the central basin.
The Seahorse Fountain, this fountain is popularly known as the Meyer Circle Fountain, The Seahorse Fountain is also among Kansas City’s older fountains up to date.
The Seahorse Fountain is also one of the most popular fountains; it is residing on the busy intersection of the Meyer Boulevard and Ward Parkway.
The Seahorse Fountain was seen as the most important feature that can be found on the boulevard. J.C. Nichols was known as the man and the developer that made a lot of the important contributions to the growth of Kansas City and also he is responsible to design some of Kansas City’s most prominent features that we can see today. He is not just the person who donated the money for the various outdoor fountains to the city; he also played an important hand in the construction of the Seahorse Fountain.
The Seahorse Fountain was fully completed during 1925. The Seahorse Fountain is made up of a two-tiered bowl which is being held up by the three cherubs, a dolphin and of course the three seahorses that has given the fountain its popular name. These figures on The Seahorse Fountain rest on a larger limestone base that is placed within a larger basin. A child and dolphin tops the bowl of The Seahorse Fountain, and these figures are made from Italian marble. The Seahorse Fountain stands 16 feet high if we are going to include the limestone base. In spite of the repeated damage that The Seahorse Fountain had suffered, The Seahorse Fountain remains a one of the noted landmark that is situated within a beautiful residential area of the city of Kansas.
The Northland Fountain is known as the first fountain to be erected in the north of the Missouri River, The Northland Fountain was the result of an enormous effort that came from the community as well as in the private sector of the city. The Northland Fountain was made and dedicated in 1983; but the land that The Northland Fountain is standing for it was bought by the city in the form of 8 acres of the parkland during 1980. The land was used to construct the North Gate Park.
The Northland Fountain is composed of a large reflecting pool that is 80 feet in diameter. The Northland Fountain also has multiple jets that make up the water feature of The Northland Fountain. The central water jet of the Northland Fountain shoots water with an approximate height of 30 feet into the air, where then it disperses in a fine mist of the fountain. A ring of jets then surround the central jet of The Northland Fountain and then it shoot water outwards. Other jets of The Northland Fountain are located along the exterior that shoots the water inwards.
The year-round aspect of The Northland Fountain makes it particularly amazing to view during the winter. When temperatures of the area would drop below freezing, the Northland Fountain’s water sprays would create an organic ice sculptures that would grow and then change. The Northland community’s efforts in creating a unique fountain did paid off in that the Northland Fountain is known as one of the most popular as well as the noted attraction in Kansas City.
The Children’s Fountain is actually one of the most recent fountains that have been dedicated in Kansas City and The Children’s Fountain is also one of the largest fountains. Kansas City is known as the second city to Rome that has the number of fountains in their fold. The plan for a city was for them to have as many fountains as Rome and they should have as many boulevards as Paris, this plan was developed in the early in the city planning stages. The city of Kansas actually continues with that notion upto this day.
The idea of having
The Children’s Fountain is a way in celebrating the children of Kansas City, and it was developed during the early 90’s. The site of the chosen location for The Children’s Fountain is in the park north of the Missouri River this area is known as the North Kansas City. The sculptures that can be seen in The Children’s Fountain were created by a local sculptor in Kansas, namely Tom Corbin. Corbin is the person responsible for many of the brass sculptures that were used in the various Kansas City’s fountains.
Corbin actually created six sculptures of children in The Children’s Fountain. Corbin used area children as his models for The Children’s Fountain sculptures, these sculptures appears on the pedestals that are descended in height. The Children’s Fountain was designed is such as way so that the water would visible from cars that are driving on the roads nearby. Each of the statures in The Children’s Fountain is positioned so that water that is shooting up from the nearby jets would overlap over them.
The William Volker Memorial Fountain is probably one of the known fountains in Kansas City, the William Volker Memorial Fountain is also known as one of the most playful and also a whimsical fountain. The William Volker Memorial Fountain was dedicated in 1958 as a tribute to the one of the local philanthropist of Kansas City, William Volker, who had died in 1947 in the age of 88.
William Volker was actually born in Germany in 1859 having an affluent family. He was a confirmed bachelor; Volker however surprised a lot by getting married at the age of 52. Being a man of his word, William Volker later on spent the next 36 years of his life giving away a sum with an estimated amount of ten million dollars. William Volker donated heavily of his riches to Kansas City causes as well as charities.
Following the death of William Volker, a memorial was planned to be dedicated to him who was known for the modesty that he has in spite of his wealth. The William Volker Memorial Fountain was designed by Carl Milles, a Swedish artist. The central figure in the William Volker Memorial Fountain is St. Martin of Tours, he is known as the patron saint of France. The story of St. Four angel figures that surrounds the St. Martin figure, he is mounted on a horse. There are three of the figures that are below him, while the angel playing the flute is placed on the pedestal above him. The figures in the William Volker Memorial Fountain rest in a large reflecting pool. The William Volker Memorial Fountain also has an outdoor fountain jets that spray water from the two pools adjacent to the main one.
The Crown Center is one a famous place in Kansas; it was developed by the founders of the Hallmark Card Company, this said company has its company headquarters located in Kansas City. During the 1960s, the area that surrounds the headquarters was typically a failed industrial area that has a lot of vacant lots, empty warehouses and also closed businesses.
The Crown Center Square Fountain was first operated during in 1972. The Crown Center Square Fountain was unique among the other Kansas City fountains simply because of its design. The Crown Center Square Fountain has no collecting basin or perhaps any type of visible plumbing. Instead, the Crown Center Square Fountain has 49 jets that can shoot water up to 25 feet into the air. Also the addition of the lighting that shines through the Crown Center Square Fountain shooting water provides viewers a dramatic effect. The Crown Center Square Fountain takes up a space of about 2,000 square feet and the fountain rests in a cobblestone-paved portion of the square.
The Crown Center Square Fountain is known as one of the only fountains in Kansas City where playing in the water is allowed and even being encouraged. Most especially during the hottest days of summer, everyone can take their time and cool off from the young and old alike can be seen in Crown Center Square Fountain playing in the spurting water. In 2006, the Crown Center Square Fountain underwent a large renovation and restoration project. Hydraulic devices were installed in the Crown Center Square Fountain that would allow for “dancing water” displays.
The Fontana delle Api or known in English as the “Fountain of the Bees” is an amazing fountain that is located in the Piazza Barberini in Rome this the location where the piazza meets the Via Sistina. The Fontana delle Api was sculpted by one of the forefathers of fountains in Rome, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, he was able to complete The Fontana delle Api in April 1644. The Fontana delle Api is made up of a marble bi-valve shell that has three bees of the made from the same material resting on it. The Fontana delle Api was made to the intend to be a watering trough for the horses during that time. There is an inscription on the shell that reads “Urban VIII Pont. Max., having built The Fontana delle Api for the public ornamentation of the City of Rome, also built this little fountain to be able to provide service to the private citizens of Rome. In 1644, XXI of his pontificate, “The “public ornamentation” known to in the inscription would be the Triton Fountain, or the Fontana del Tritone, which Bernini had also completed the year before The Fontana delle Api was made.
This was because, right after the completion of the Triton Fountain, Bernini was then charged to create a small drinking fountain for the horses; it is typically to be located near all the monumental fountains in Rome. However, this beautiful example of the Roman baroque was later demolished in 1867 and it was then carried to one of the deposits at the Testaccio. On the other hand The Fontana delle Api was then rebuilt in 1916 along with some of the material of the previous one.
