Bagley Memorial Fountain facts for kids
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Bagley Memorial Fountain
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Bagley Memorial Fountain at its new location on Cadillac Square facing Campus Martius
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| Location | Cadillac Square Detroit, Michigan |
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| Built | 1885 |
| Architect | H. H. Richardson |
| Architectural style | Italian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000422 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 05, 1971 |
The Bagley Memorial Fountain is a special old fountain in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It's a historic landmark that has been around for a long time. The fountain was officially recognized as a Michigan State Historic Site and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
This beautiful fountain was recently moved. It used to be in Campus Martius Park, but now it's in Cadillac Square Park, which is just a short distance away.
Who Was John J. Bagley?
The fountain is named after John J. Bagley, who was an important person in Michigan. He served as the 16th governor of Michigan from 1873 to 1877. Before becoming governor, Bagley was also a city leader in Detroit. He helped create the Detroit Metropolitan Police Commission. He also helped build the first Detroit House of Corrections.
When Governor Bagley passed away in 1881, he left $5,000 in his will. This money was meant to build a special drinking fountain for the people of Detroit. He wanted the fountain to provide "water cold and pure as the coldest mountain stream."
Designing the Fountain
In 1885, the Bagley family chose a famous architect named Henry Hobson Richardson to design the fountain. The fountain was officially opened in 1887. It was first placed at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Fort Street in Detroit.
Richardson built the entire fountain using pink Bragville granite. He designed it to look like a "ciborium," which is a special type of structure found in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. The Bagley Memorial Fountain stands about 21 feet (6.4 meters) tall. Its basin, where the water collects, is 7 feet (2.1 meters) wide.
At the center of the fountain, there are four lion heads. These lion heads are where the water comes out. When the fountain was first built, two of the lion heads gave out "normal" temperature water. The other two lion heads provided cold water. This cold water was made by packing ice around the pipes inside the fountain.
The fountain has an inscription on its four sides. It says: "TESTAMENTARY GIFT | FOR THE PEOPLE FROM | JOHN JVDSON BAGLEY | A.D. MDCCCLXXXVII." This means it was a gift from John Judson Bagley to the people, given in the year 1887.
Where Has the Fountain Been?
The Bagley Memorial Fountain has moved a few times!
- 1926: The fountain was moved from its first spot at Woodward and Fort. It was moved to Campus Martius. This move happened because there was a lot more car traffic in the area.
- 2000: The fountain was taken apart and put into storage.
- 2007: The fountain was set up in its current location in Cadillac Square. During this move, a new lion fountainhead was put in place. The original one had been stolen.
The Bagley Memorial Fountain is the only remaining work by architect Henry Hobson Richardson in the Detroit area.
See also
In Spanish: Fuente Conmemorativa Bagley para niños
