Neptune - 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:

Neptune with a beard and a crown, stands in an upturned seashell holding a forked spear in his proper right hand. A sea serpent rests near the back of his proper right foot.

From the Smithsonian AIC Remarks:

One of ten sculptures originally installed on columns surrounding the Louisville Water Tower. Built in 1860, the tower was designed by the Water Company's chief engineer Theodore R. Scowden. The original sculptures were a mix of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Eight of the figures 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 added around 1893. Most of the figures were ordered from J. W. Fiske Iron Works. It is unknown whether the Neptune sculpture is one of the original ten; or one of the 1893 replacements.

Contractor Patrick Bannon is responsible for installing the replacements for a sum of $1,650. The 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: Neptune ARTIST(S): founder (possibly by): J. W. Fiske Iron Works; engineer: Theodore R. Scowden; contractor: Patrick Bannon DATE: 1860 (?). Installed ca. 1893 MEDIUM: Zinc, painted CONTROL NUMBER: IAS KY000202 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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