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Horace H. Rackham Memorial Fountain facts for kids

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The Horace Rackham Memorial Fountain, also known as the Bear Fountain, is a beautiful water feature located at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, Michigan. It was built in 1939. A talented artist named Frederick A. Schnaple designed it, and Corrado Parducci sculpted the amazing figures you see on it.

The Horace Rackham Bear Fountain

This special fountain was created to honor Horace Rackham, a very important person in Detroit's history. He was the first president of the Detroit Zoo's commission, which helped guide the zoo in its early days. His wife, Mary Rackham, gave the money to build this fountain to remember his strong connection to the zoo.

What Does the Fountain Look Like?

The Horace Rackham Fountain is quite unique! It has a large, round bowl that holds the water. This bowl is held up by two big, standing bears, which is why it's often called the Bear Fountain.

Around the fountain, you can also spot many other animal sculptures. Look closely, and you might see frogs, turtles, and even a couple of seals! There are also some small, angelic figures made of granite on the outside of the fountain.

Rackham Fountain-Det Zoo
Horace H. Rackham Memorial Fountain

Who Was Horace Rackham?

Horace Rackham was a successful businessman from Detroit. He was involved in many important projects. After he passed away, his wife, Mary Rackham, made several generous donations in his name. These donations helped create important places like the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan and the Rackham School at Eastern Michigan University. She also supported the Horace H. Rackham Building in the Cultural Center in Detroit.

The Artist Who Sculpted It

The animal figures and other sculptures on the fountain were created by Corrado Parducci. He was a very famous sculptor known for his work on many buildings and monuments in the Detroit area. Parducci's small model, called a maquette, for one of the bears from this fountain is kept safe in the Detroit Historical Museum collection.

A Sculptor's Thoughts

Even though Parducci was a skilled artist, he sometimes had to create things that weren't his first choice. About sculpting the bears for this fountain, he once said, "I didn't like that. I made it against my will. They wanted, Mrs. Rackham was sold on that, bears . . ." This shows that even professional artists sometimes work on projects that are not their favorite, but they still do a great job!

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