Drinking fountains in the United States

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This is a list of drinking fountains in the United States. A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and swallows water directly from the stream.

Creation of public drinking fountains was supported by the Temperance Movement, which advocated abstinence from alcohol and saw providing free fresh water as furthering its cause. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union, founded in 1874, sponsored Temperance fountains in towns and cities across the United States. Henry D. Cogswell, a dentist who made a fortune in San Francisco real estate, sponsored (and designed) dozens of artistic fountains, some of which were adorned with a statue of himself.

A concurrent movement concerned with animal welfare resulted in the founding of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1866. One of its concerns was the difficulty of finding fresh water for work horses in urban areas. Combination drinking fountains that provided a bubbler for people and a water trough for horses, and sometimes a lower basin for dogs, became popular.

Privately-sponsored drinking fountains were often commissioned as works of art. Sculptors such as Karl Bitter, Gutzon Borglum and Daniel Chester French; and architects such as Frederick Law Olmsted and Henry Hobson Richardson collaborated on them. These were frequently created as memorials to individuals, serving an ongoing utilitarian purpose as well as an artistic one.

The National Humane Alliance donated more than 120 National Humane Alliance Fountains to communities all across the United States between 1903 and 1913. The fountains were the gift of philanthropist Herman Lee Ensign. The fountains were placed at busy intersections in cities all across the United States. The fountains were quarried on Vinalhaven which is an island off the coast from Rockland, Maine. The three level fountains had a top piece that included spigots in the shape of lions heads for humans, a larger circular bowl for horses, and lower bowls for dogs and cats. Many of the fountains are still in existence and several have been restored to their original condition, but moved to new locations as the popularity of the automobile made their original purpose and location obsolete. Derby, CT has a website (http://electronicvalley.org/derby/quiz/pages/wateringtrough.htm) dedicated to the fountains that includes an interactive map of the United States with locations and pictures.

Location (by state)	Name	Sculptor	Other designer	Year	Medium	Usage	Notes
Market, Geary & Kearny Streets, San Francisco, California	Lotta's Fountain Lotta Crabtree Fountain			1875	cast iron	For people	File:LottaFountain3.jpg The fountain in 1905. Actress Lotta Crabtree donated the fountain. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Washington Square, San Francisco, California	Benjamin Franklin (Washington Square) Temperance Fountain Cogswell Historical Monument	Unknown	Henry D. Cogswell, designer	1879 relocated 1904	bronze base: granite	For people	Originally located at Market & Kearny Streets. Altered. No longer a fountain.
Bridgeport, Connecticut	Nathaniel Wheeler Memorial Fountain	Gutzon Borglum		1913	Mermaid: bronze Basin & 3 horse troughs: granite	For people and horses	Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Derby Greenway, Derby, Connecticut	National Humane Alliance Fountain			1906 restored 2007		For people, horses and dogs	More than 120 National Humane Alliance Fountains were installed in communities across the United States between 1903 and 1913.
Pope Park, Hartford, Connecticut	Pope Fountain Albert A. Pope Memorial Fountain	Lee Lawrie	George W. Keller, architect	1913 relocated 1964		For people and horses	Includes a bronze portrait medallion of Albert A. Pope.
Center Park, Manchester, Connecticut	Dancing Bears Fountain Children's Fountain	Albert Humphreys	Pomponian Bronze Works, foundry	1909		For people
The Green, Waterbury, Connecticut	Carrie Welton Fountain "Horse on The Green"	Karl Gerhardt		1888	Horse: bronze Base: granite	For people and horses
Rehoboth Avenue & Boardwalk, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware	Woman's Christian Temperance Union Fountain (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware)			1929	granite	For people	Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
7th Street & Indiana Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.	Temperance Fountain (Washington, D.C.) Cogswell Fountain	Unknown	Henry D. Cogswell, designer	1882-84	Sculptures: bronze Base & canopy: granite	For people and horses	Water flowed from the dolphins' mouths. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
United States Capitol Grounds, Washington, D.C.	U. S. Capitol Grounds Drinking Fountain		Frederick Law Olmsted, architect	1874		For people
Oak Park, Illinois	Horse Show Fountain aka Wright-Bock Fountain	Richard Bock	Frank Lloyd Wright, architect	1909 replica 1969	Poured concrete	For people, horses and dogs	The original fountain deteriorated and was used to create a replica. It was erected about 100 ft from the original's site.
Monroe County Courthouse, Bloomington, Indiana	Woman's Christian Temperance Union Fountain (Bloomington, Indiana)			1913		For people
Carroll County Courthouse, Delphi, Indiana	Murphy Memorial Drinking Fountain	Myra Reynolds Richards		1918	Sculpture: bronze Barre granite	For people	Richards posing with her sculpture.
Clarinda & Sheridan Streets, Shenandoah, Iowa	Woman's Christian Temperance Union Fountain (Shenandoah, Iowa)			1912	cast iron	For people, dogs and birds	Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Old Fayette County Courthouse, Lexington, Kentucky	Ellis Fountain	William Ingram	Lexington Granite Company	1921	Sculptures: bronze granite	For people and dogs
Audubon Park, New Orleans, Louisiana	Gumbel Memorial Fountain	Isidore Konti		1918		For people, horses and dogs	"The Meeting of Air and Water"
The Esplanade, Boston, Massachusetts	Lotta Fountain Lotta Crabtree Fountain	Katharine Lane Weems	John W. Ames, architect Edwin Dodge, architect	1939		For people, cats and dogs	The fountain was a bequest from actress Lotta Crabtree.
Cleveland Circle, Brookline, Massachusetts	Charles Taft Fountain		Coolidge & Carleson, architects	1912		For people, horses and dogs
Town Park, Lee, Massachusetts	Kilbon Memorial Fountain	Daniel Chester French		1899		For people and horses	Water flows from the mouth of a mask of Konkapot, a Mohican chief.
Worcester Common, Worcester, Massachusetts	Burnside Fountain	Charles Y. Harvey (completed by Sherry Fry)	Henry Bacon, architect	1912		For people, horses and dogs	Harvey's Pan-like figure is nicknamed "Turtle Boy." Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Detroit, Michigan	Bagley Memorial Fountain		Henry Hobson Richardson, architect	1887		For people	Water flows from the lions' mouths. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Palmer Park, Detroit, Michigan	Merrill Humane Fountain		Carrere & Hastings, architects	1901 relocated 1925		For people, horses and dogs	Merrill Humane Fountain, c. 1906
Commerce & Main Streets, Natchez, Mississippi	Miller Memorial Fountain			1911		For people, horses and dogs
Swope Park, Kansas City, Missouri	American Legion Memorial World War I Memorial	Merrell Gage	G. B. Franklin, architect Chicago Art Bronze Works, foundry	1921		For people
Outside Bird House, St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis, Missouri	Jessie Tennille Maschmeyer Memorial Fountain "Zuni Bird Charmer"	Walker Hancock	Roman Bronze Works, foundry	1932		For people.	The granite plinth features a life-sized bronze figure of a Zuni bird charmer at center and bubbler at each end.
Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan, New York City	Temperance Fountain (Tompkins Square Park) Cogswell Fountain	Unknown	Henry D. Cogswell, designer	1888		For people	"Hebe" (after a statue by Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen).
Union Square Park, Manhattan, New York City	James Fountain Union Square Drinking Fountain	Karl Adolph Donndorf	J. Leonard Corning, architect	1881		For people and dogs	Donated by Daniel Willis James and Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.
Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio	Probasco Fountain		Samuel Hannaford, architect	1887		For people, horses and dogs	Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, Dayton, Ohio	Woodland Cemetery Drinking Fountain	Karl Bitter		1908-09		For people	Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Portland, Oregon	Benson Bubbler		A. E. Doyle, architect	1912		For people	Philanthropist Simon Benson initially installed 20 four-bowl drinking fountains. Portland now features 52 four-bowl Benson Bubblers and 74 single-bowl ones.
1800 West Burnside Street, Portland, Oregon	David Campbell Monument Portland Fireman's Memorial	Avard Fairbanks	Paul Cret, architect	1928		For people, horses and dogs	An exedra (curved bench) with a drinking fountain at center. It empties into a basin on the opposite side for horses and dogs.
SE Sandy Street, Portland, Oregon	Charles B. Merrick Memorial Drinking Fountain			1916		For people
Council Crest Park, Portland, Oregon	"Pioneer Woman" "Joy"	Frederick Littman		1956
Oregon 801 SW 10th Avenue, Portland	Portland Central Library Fountain		A. E. Doyle, architect	1913	Wilkinson sandstone	For people	Fountain is right of center:
South Park Blocks, Portland, Oregon	Shemanski Fountain	Oliver Laurence Barrett	Carl L. Linde, architect	1925-26 1928		For people and dogs	Barrett's figure of "Rebecca at the Well" was added in 1928.
SW First & Ankeny Streets, Portland, Oregon	Skidmore Fountain	Olin Levi Warner	J. M. Wells, architect	1888	Top basin & caryatids: bronze Lower basin & horse troughs: granite	For people, horses and dogs	The octagonal basin spills into 4 water troughs for horses and dogs.
Quadrangle Dormitories, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Class of 1892 Fountain "The Scholar and the Football Player"	Alexander Stirling Calder	Bureau Brothers, foundry	1900		For people
Bainbridge Street median strip at 3rd Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Annie L. Lowry Memorial Fountain			1910		For horses and dogs	"Drink Gentle Friends" Erected by the Women's Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Horticultural Drive, West Fairmount Park Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Rebecca at the Well Mary Rebecca Darby Smith Memorial Fountain	John J. Boyle		1908 relocated 1934		For people Originally, for people, horses and dogs	"Drink, and I will give thy Camels Drink also." Originally installed on the Spring Garden Street median strip at 12th Street. Relocated to West Fairmount Park, 1934.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Temperance Fountain (Philadelphia)			1876 Relocated 1877 Removed to storage 1969		For people	Under a 13-sided gazebo at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Erected by the Grand Division of the Sons of Temperance. Cost: $2,300 Installed outside Independence Hall, 1877-1969
Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	J. William White Memorial Drinking Fountain	R. Tait McKenzie		1921		For people	Portrait medallion of J. William White (1919).
Main Street, Slatington, Pennsylvania	Fireman's Drinking Fountain		J. W. Fiske & Company	1909		For people and dogs	Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.