Broadway Fountain - San Diego, CA - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Taken from Wikipedia, "Horton Plaza is a small (half a city block) city park in Downtown San Diego, California. The Broadway Fountain stands in the middle of the plaza. The plaza was designated a historical landmark by the City of San Diego on March 19, 1971. he area of the park was sold to the city of San Diego in 1895 by its namesake, Alonzo Horton. Originally, the plaza was intended for use by his guests staying at the Horton House Hotel.

The fountain in the middle of the plaza was designed by Irving Gill, which he modeled after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. Louis J. Wilde, banker and part-owner of the U. S. Grant Hotel, donated $10,000 to help build the fountain, which was completed in 1910. The engraving on the frieze reads "Broadway Fountain for the People."

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Taken from the Smithsonian, "A Neoclassical electric fountain, styled after the Choregic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens. Water is pumped up through the eight marble columns and out onto the dome - made of prismatic glass with bronze filigree, creating rainbow effects. Colored lights illuminate the fountain at night. On the octagonal base are four plaques, three with portrait busts of important men from San Diego's history - Father Serra, Alonzo Horton, and Juan Cabrillo.

The fountain was commissioned by the Board of Park Commissioners of San Diego, with $10,000 in funding provided by Louis J. Wilde. The fountain was dedicated Oct. 15, 1910, to coincide with the opening of the U.S. Grant Hotel across the street. Originally, the fountain was topped by a gilded eagle, which was stolen and replaced with a smaller eagle made of zinc. (The original eagle was later recovered, see IAS record 04020268). IAS files contain related excerpts from Kamerling's text "Irving J. Gill, Architect," San Diego Historical Society, c. 1993, pg. 68-69."

TITLE: (Fountain), (sculpture). ARTIST(S): Gill, Irving, sculptor. Peano, Felix Achilles, 1863-1949, sculptor. DATE: Commissioned 1909. 1910. Dedicated Oct. 15, 1910. MEDIUM: Fountain: steel and bronze; Base: reinforced concrete or granite veneered with marble; Reliefs: bronze. CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 75001335 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Horton Plaza DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: Some corrosion noted.

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