Michelson-Chapman Fountain - Ashland Downtown Historic District - Ashland, OR
N 42° 11.663 W 122° 42.604
10T E 523938 N 4671399
This structure is ID# 94.100 in the Ashland Downtown Historic District.
Waymark Code: WMNA25
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 01/28/2015
Views: 1
The following text is taken from the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form to describe this building's history:
Early photographs of the Ashland Public Library show that the original fountain at the SE corner of Gresham and East Main streets was what appears to have been a cast iron bowl. It is not clear when this fountain was removed but the present granite fountain was installed in 1929, a gift to the city from the estate of Aunt "Vicky Mickelson. Victoria Mickelson, "one of Ashland's most beloved pioneer character" made a very specific bequest.
"I direct my executor...to sell all my property...with the proceeds thereof to purchase a suitable lot in the city of Ashland...to properly grade, lay out and beautify the same, and to have erected thereon a neat and substantial stone cold water fountain with appropriate appointments for men and animals to quench their thirst. Only Oregon stone is to be used in fitting up the fountain. A suitable life-sized statue is to be placed at the top [and]...the name of Mickelson-Chapman is to be cut in the corner of said fountain..."(Tidings, 14-Apr-1928, 1:2)
Originally planned for the entrance to Lithia Park, the Mickelson-Chapman Fountain was finally built in the small triangle "city park" in front of the city's Carnegie Library. It is not clear who manufactured the fountain or where the carved figure of Italian marble acquired but the fountain was apparently completed by late 1929.
"One of the most beautiful fountain in Ashland is the Mickelson-Chapman Fountain at the city library, a fountain made possible by Mrs. Victoria St. Claire Chapman Mickelson and erected at a cost of $3826.00. This memorial fountain, with granite base, surmounted by the figure of a pioneer women fashioned from Italian marble, is an artistic piece of work which attracts much attention. Both Lithia water and city water comes from the fountain..." (Tidings, 30-Jun-1931)
Balancing the presence of several public statues at the Plaza and within Lithia Park, the Mickelson-Chapman Fountain demarcated the eastern end of the Ashland Downtown core. While currently non-functional, the small perimeter dog bowls and the graceful female figure of the work retain high integrity and serve as an important visual element in maintaining the historic character of the downtown area.