Waterfront Fountain

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Waterfront Fountain
Waterfront fountain (4890766300).jpg
The fountain in 2010
Waterfront Fountain
Artist
Year1974 (1974)
ConditionDamaged, under repair
Location Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates 47°36′26″N122°20′31″W / 47.607141°N 122.342016°W / 47.607141; -122.342016
The fountain outside the Seattle Aquarium, 2009 Seattle Aquarium Seattle WA - panoramio.jpg
The fountain outside the Seattle Aquarium, 2009

Waterfront Fountain was an outdoor 1974 fountain and sculpture by James FitzGerald and Margaret Tomkins, installed along Alaskan Way in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. [1] [2] [3] The fountain was located adjacent to the Seattle Aquarium at Waterfront Park on Pier 58. [4]

Contents

History

FitzGerald created several fountains for parks around the Seattle area, including one at the Seattle Center for the Century 21 Exposition in 1962. He was commissioned to design a fountain for the new Waterfront Park, but died in 1973 before work was finalized. [5] The project had been funded by a $75,000 donation from Helen Martha Schiff. [6] Following his death in 1973, his widow Margaret Tomkins lead the effort to complete the fountain's design. [7] It was completed alongside the park in October 1974. [4] [8]

On September 13, 2020, the central portion of Pier 58 collapsed during early demolition work following the discovery of extensive structural issues. The structural integrity of the pier had been compromised by a combination of the environment and the supports for the fountain failing. The fountain, weighing 4 tons, fell into the water along with two contractors who were working on the demolition. [9]

See also

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References

  1. "Waterfront Fountain". Public Art Archive. November 23, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  2. "Seattle good will keeps on flowing with fountain". The Seattle Times. February 19, 2011. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  3. "Walking tours" (PDF). www.seattle.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 24, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  4. "James FitzGerald, Seattle sculptor, dies". The Seattle Times. October 9, 1973. p. D14.
  5. "Funds received for fountain". The Seattle Times. July 24, 1973. p. A9.
  6. Farr, Sheila (March 22, 2002). "Outspoken Seattle painter Margaret Tomkins dies". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  7. Lane, Polly (October 20, 1974). "City dedicates its waterfront park Friday". The Seattle Times. p. E1.
  8. Silverman, Hollie (September 13, 2020). "2 injured after Seattle pier partially collapses, sending workers into the water". CNN. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2020.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)