Chiming Fountain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chiming Fountain |
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The fountain in 2006
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| Artist | John "Hans" Staehli |
| Year | 1891 |
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| Dimensions | 3.7 m (12 ft); 2.1 m diameter (7 ft) |
| Condition | "Treatment urgent" (1994) |
| Location | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| 45°31′16″N 122°42′10″W / 45.5212389°N 122.7026508°W | |
| Owner | City of Portland's Metropolitan Arts Commission |
The Chiming Fountain is a beautiful outdoor fountain and sculpture. It was built in 1891 by an artist named John "Hans" Staehli. You can find it in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, United States.
This fountain has a special name, "Chiming Fountain," because of the gentle sound the water makes as it drips from the top. When it was first built, it was a place for horses to drink water after pulling carriages into the park. The fountain was designed to look like old Renaissance fountains. It used to be white and had a small statue of a boy, possibly Cupid, but that part was damaged and removed a long time ago.
The fountain was fixed up in 1960. Later, in 1994, experts said it needed urgent repairs. Luckily, its water-pumping system has been fixed since then! The Chiming Fountain is now a popular spot. It's even mentioned in guides for walking and biking tours of Portland. Many people see it as a highlight of Washington Park.
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What is the Chiming Fountain?
This fancy fountain is located in the main circle of Washington Park. It sits where Southwest Sacajawea Boulevard and Southwest Sherwood Boulevard meet. John "Hans" Staehli, a woodcarver from Switzerland, designed it. He moved to Portland and was known for his amazing carvings in churches.
The city asked Staehli to create the fountain in 1891. It cost $400, which was a lot of money back then! This fountain became the second piece of public art in the city. Its main job was to be a watering trough for horses. These horses would pull carriages carrying people into the park.
What does the fountain look like?
The Chiming Fountain is made of strong cast iron. It stands about 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall and is 7 feet (2.1 meters) wide. It has a base, a tall center part, and two round bronze bowls. These bowls are separated by a narrow post.
The fountain stands in an eight-sided concrete pool. The base of the fountain has four figures that look a bit like gargoyles with horns. On one side of the base, you can see an old inscription. It says "J. Staehli/Portland, Org./64 Second St."
The missing boy statue
Staehli's design was inspired by old Renaissance fountains. The fountain was originally painted white. In the very center, there used to be a small statue of a boy. This boy was holding something, maybe a staff, a fish, or even a torch. Water would spray from it.
Some people thought the boy statue looked like Cupid, the Roman god of love. That's why one of the fountain's nicknames is "Cupid's Fountain." The last known photo of the boy statue was taken in 1912.
Sadly, in the 1920s, very cold weather caused water inside the fountain to freeze and expand. This damaged the boy statue. By the 1940s, the statue was removed and never replaced.
How the fountain was saved
In 1960, the city almost removed the fountain because it was in bad shape. But the mayor, Terry Schrunk, stepped in. A local man named Francis J. Murnane, who cared about old buildings, asked him to save it.
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So, the city decided to fix it. Many of the original decorations were gone. Workers made new copies of the missing parts. The whole repair job cost about $1,775, which included putting it back together.
Even after this repair, the fountain still didn't work properly. In 1994, a program called "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" said it needed urgent help. Since then, the fountain's water system has been fixed. Now, the Chiming Fountain works and brings joy to visitors in Washington Park.
