Mercury - Louisville, Kentucky - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Mercury is one of nine smithsonian sculptures located around the balustrade of the Louisville Water Company Pumping Station, a National Register Historic Landmark.

From the Smithsonian AIC Description:

A nude Mercury rests with his proper right leg on a log. He wears a winged cap and holds panpipes in his proper left hand.

From the Smithsonian AIC Remarks:

The sculpture was installed around 1893, atop a column surrounding the Louisville Water Tower. It replaces an earlier sculpture that was one of ten original pieces installed on the tower around 1860. The tower was designed by Water Company Chief Engineer Theodore R. Scowden. The original sculptures were a mix of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Eight were destroyed by an 1890 tornado, that also destroyed the water tower. In the early 1890s, a new cast iron water tower was built and replacement figures were installed around 1893. Most of the replacement figures were ordered from J. W. Fiske Iron Works, and the figure of Mercury may be from their "Illustrated Catalogue and Price List of Zinc Statuary, Animals, Etc.," entry no. 366. Contractor Patrick Bannon is responsible for placing the replacement sculptures on the tower for a sum of $1,650. Funding may have been provided by Michael Muldoon, founder of the Muldoon Monument Company, and son-in-law of James S. Lithgow, an original board member of the Louisville Water Company. Muldoon may also be responsible for selecting the replacement sculptures. Between 1990 and 1993, the sculpture and tower were restored. The Water Tower is a National Historic Landmark.

TITLE: Mercury ARTIST(S): founder (possibly by): J. W. Fiske Iron Works; engineer: Theodore R. Scowden; contractor: Patrick Bannon DATE: Installed ca. 1893 MEDIUM: Zinc, painted CONTROL NUMBER: IAS KY000206 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: 3005 Upper River Road Louisville Water Tower balustrade Louisville, Kentucky 40207 DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: None Noted

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