Voorhies Memorial Seal Pond - Denver, CO
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 39° 44.405 W 104° 59.328
13S E 500959 N 4398909
The well-known Seal Fountain in Denver's Civic Center Park
Waymark Code: WM46ZJ
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 07/16/2008
Views: 54
The Voorhies Memorial Seal Pond (AKA: The Seal Fountain) was designed by sculptor Robert Garrison in 1922 as part of the Voorhies Memorial. John E. Voorhies was a banker who made his wealth in the early mining days. He funded the memorial which was located across from his home at 1425 Cleveland. The structure was designed by William Ellsworth and Arthur Addison Fisher to resemble the Water Gateway at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. (See Waymark WM43FF for more information in the Voorhies Memorial.)
The large pond features two bronze seal lion sculptures with a young naked child sitting on the back of each seal. The child is depicted reaching around the seal's neck and grabbing at the water with delight as it sprays from the seal's mouth. The fountain is often closed during large public events at Civic Center Park because of health concerns of children playing in the water. The filtration system was not designed to the standards of a swimming pool and the water is not heavily treated for contamination. [Excerpted from Public Art Around the World]