Chiming Fountain
{{Short description|Fountain and sculpture in Portland, Oregon}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox artwork
| title = Chiming Fountain
| image_file = File:Pdx washpark chimingfountain s.jpeg
| caption = The fountain in 2006
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| artist = John "Hans" Staehli
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| year = {{Start date|1891}}
| type = {{Flatlist|
- Fountain
- sculpture
}}
| material = {{Flatlist|
- Cast iron
- bronze
- concrete
}}
| subject =
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| height_imperial = 12
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| diameter_imperial = 7
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| metric_unit = m
| imperial_unit = ft
| condition = "Treatment urgent" (1994)
| city = Portland, Oregon, United States
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| coordinates = {{coord|45.5212389|-122.7026508|format=dms|type:landmark_region:US-OR_source:googlemaps|display=inline,title}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 13
| owner = City of Portland's Metropolitan Arts Commission
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The Chiming Fountain, also known as Cupid's Fountain,{{cite book|last1=Foster|first1=Laura O.|title=Portland Hill Walks: 24 Explorations in Parks and Neighborhoods|date=2014|publisher=Timber Press|page=100|isbn=9781604693256|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rVaCTLsTeUsC&pg=PA100|access-date=November 30, 2014}} the John Staehli Fountain, Portland's City Park Fountain and Washington Park Fountain,{{cite web|title=Washington Park Fountain, (sculpture).|url=http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!321219~!0#focus|work=Art Inventories Catalog|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|access-date=November 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206092758/http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!321219~!0#focus|archive-date=December 6, 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite book|last1=Jewell|first1=Judy|first2=W. C.|last2=McRae|title=Moon Oregon|date=May 6, 2014|publisher=Avalon Travel|page=86|isbn=9781612388434|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6rHcAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT86|access-date=December 1, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} is an outdoor cast iron fountain and sculpture built in 1891 by John "Hans" Staehli. It is installed in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, United States. The fountain's name derives from the sound made when water drips from the upper basin. Staehli designed the fountain to serve as a watering trough for horses pulling carriages into the park. Based on a Renaissance fountain, it was originally painted white and included a statuette of a boy, possibly depicting Cupid, though the figure was damaged and permanently removed from the sculpture before or during the 1940s.
The fountain was restored in 1960, but no longer functioned. Its condition was deemed "treatment urgent" by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in February 1994. Since then, its water-pumping function has also been restored. Chiming Fountain has been included in published biking and walking tours of Portland and has been mentioned as a highlight of Washington Park in guides recommending family-friendly activities in the city.
Description and history
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| image1 = Washington Park Fountain (Chiming Fountain).JPG
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| link1 = File:Washington Park Fountain (Chiming Fountain).JPG
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| caption1 = The fountain topped by a statuette of a boy, in a 1901 photograph
| image2 = Pdx washpark chimingfountain gargoyles.jpeg|
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The decorative fountain is located at the junction of Southwest Sacajawea Boulevard and Southwest Sherwood Boulevard in the main circle of Washington Park. It was designed by John "Hans" Staehli, a woodcarver from Switzerland who immigrated to Portland and was known for his decorative carvings of churches.{{cite news|last1=Harvey|first1=Joan|title=Architect who helped save buildings dies|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1241747712278220.xml&coll=7|access-date=November 30, 2014|work=The Oregonian|publisher=Advanced Publications|date=May 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205014307/http://www.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregonian/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews%2F1241747712278220.xml&coll=7|archive-date=December 5, 2014|url-status=live}}{{Subscription required}}{{cite web|title=National Historic Landmark Nomination: Skidmore/Old Town Historic District|url=http://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/or/SkidmoreHD.pdf|publisher=United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service|access-date=November 30, 2014|page=77|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211115046/http://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/or/SkidmoreHD.pdf|archive-date=December 11, 2014|url-status=dead}} The fountain was commissioned by the city in 1891 for $400 and completed by Staehli later that year, becoming the city's second piece of public art.{{cite web|title=1852–1900|url=https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/article/95955|publisher=Portland Parks & Recreation|access-date=November 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521071016/http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/article/95955|archive-date=May 21, 2014|url-status=live}} It served as a watering trough for horses pulling carriages into the park.Sybilla Avery Cook:
- {{cite book|last1=Cook|first1=Sybilla Avery|title=Walking Portland|date=1998|publisher=Globe Pequot|page=160|isbn=9781560446040|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oh_dA76n37gC&pg=PA160|access-date=November 30, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
- {{cite book|last1=Cook|first1=Sybilla Avery|title=Walking Portland, Oregon|date=April 2, 2013|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|page=109|isbn=9780762794119|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wvPWSWqzCT0C&pg=PA109|access-date=November 30, 2014}} The fountain has been given many different names, but is most commonly referred to as Chiming Fountain, in reference to the sound made by water dripping from the upper basin.
The fountain is made of cast iron and measures approximately {{Convert|12|ft|m}} tall with a {{Convert|7|ft|m|adj=on}} diameter. It has a pedestal and two round bronze basins separated by a narrow post, and stands in an octagonal concrete base which served as a retaining pool.{{cite web|title=Washington Park|url=http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?&propertyid=841&action=viewpark|publisher=Portland Parks & Recreation|access-date=November 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207203400/http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?&propertyid=841&action=ViewPark|archive-date=December 7, 2014|url-status=live}} The pedestal has four horned gargoyle-like figures. On the bottom of the pedestal's west side is an unsigned inscription which reads: "J. Staehli/Portland, Org./64 Second St."
Staehli's design is based on a Renaissance fountain and was originally painted white. The central post originally held a figure of a boy carrying a staff (or possibly a fish or a torch) from which water spouted. Some sources suggest the figure depicted Cupid, hence one of the fountain's nicknames, "Cupid's Fountain". According to Portland Parks & Recreation, the figure was last recorded in 1912 in a photograph of Willis McElroy's band in the nearby bandstand. However, in the 1920s, freezing weather expanded water in the fountain, damaging the figure. The boy statuette was removed from the fountain and discarded by the 1940s, and it was not replaced.
The city planned to remove the fountain in 1960 due to disrepair. However, Mayor Terry Schrunk instructed the parks bureau to begin a restoration after Francis J. Murnane, a local longshoreman and advocate for historic preservation, appealed its removal. Much of its original decoration was absent, so replicas of existing pieces were constructed at a cost of $450. The restoration cost around $1,775, including assembly and installation. Despite its restoration, the fountain was no longer functional. Its condition was deemed "treatment urgent" by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in February 1994. Since then, the fountain's plumbing has been restored.{{cite news|author=Hyams, Juliet|title=Fountains of Life|work=The Oregonian|location=Portland|date=July 27, 2007|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/11AB1B6A01FA87E0?p=AMNEWS|edition=Sunrise|page=DM06|url-access=subscription |access-date=December 3, 2014}} According to Smithsonian, the fountain is administered by the City of Portland's Metropolitan Arts Commission.
Reception
The fountain has been included in published biking and walking tours of the city, including one which described it as "elegant".{{cite book|last1=Roll|first1=Todd|title=Pedal Portland: 25 Easy Rides for Exploring the City by Bike|date=2014|publisher=Timber Press|page=42|isbn=9781604694239|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vcw0AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA42|access-date=November 30, 2014}} It was also mentioned as a highlight of Washington Park in the 2010 guidebook Best Places: Portland and by Delta Sky Magazine.{{cite book|title=Best Places: Portland|date=June 1, 2010|publisher=Sasquatch Books|page=420|edition=8th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ryVPBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT420|first1=John|last1=Gottberg|first2=Elizabeth|last2=Lopeman|isbn=9781570616990|access-date=November 30, 2014}}{{cite journal|last1=Schneiderman|first1=John|title=Portland's Pristine Parks|journal=Delta Sky Magazine|url=http://deltaskymag.delta.com/Destinations/Portland-OR/Destinaion-Posts/PORTLAND-S-PRISTINE-PARKS.aspx|access-date=December 2, 2014|publisher=MSP Communications|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150127035125/http://deltaskymag.delta.com/Destinations/Portland-OR/Destinaion-Posts/PORTLAND-S-PRISTINE-PARKS.aspx|archive-date=January 27, 2015|url-status=live}} Similarly, Chiming Fountain has been included in descriptions of the park in guides recommending child-friendly activities and sites in the city. These guides include the website TravelforKids.com and the 2009 book The 10 Best of Everything Families: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers, which listed Washington Park as one of the ten "Best Parks and Playgrounds" in the Northwestern United States.{{cite web|title=Portland – Washington Park|url=http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Oregon/Portland-city/portland-washington-park.htm|website=TravelforKids.com|publisher=Globetracks, Inc.|access-date=December 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007042436/http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Oregon/Portland-city/portland-washington-park.htm|archive-date=October 7, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite book|last1=Magsamen|first1=Susan|title=The 10 Best of Everything Families: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers|date=2009|publisher=National Geographic Books|page=[https://archive.org/details/10bestofeverythi00mags/page/106 106]|isbn=9781426203947 |url=https://archive.org/details/10bestofeverythi00mags|url-access=registration|access-date=December 1, 2014}}
See also
{{Portal|Oregon|Visual arts}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Chiming Fountain}}
- {{cite book|last1=Prince|first1=Tracy J.|title=Portland's Goose Hollow|date=2011|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|page=74|isbn=9780738574721|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TE6F_bJ3SjoC&pg=PA74|access-date=November 30, 2014}}
{{Fountains in Portland, Oregon}}
{{Public art in Portland, Oregon}}
{{Washington Park, Portland, Oregon}}
{{Good article}}
Category:1891 establishments in Oregon
Category:Bronze sculptures in Portland, Oregon
Category:Cast-iron architecture in the United States
Category:Concrete sculptures in Oregon
Category:Drinking fountains in Oregon
Category:Fountains in Portland, Oregon
Category:Iron sculptures in the United States
Category:Outdoor sculptures in Southwest Portland, Oregon
Category:Sculptures by American artists
Category:Sculptures of children in Oregon