Lovejoy fountain

Our final trip of the year takes us to the northern far west, where the Oregon Trail ends – right to heart of Downtown Portland. Oregon is home to a very unique and now historic fountain that was completed in 1966 by American Landscape artist Lawrence Halprin. He was a well rounded man and his style of architecture was modern. He also taught and designed, earning a Bachelors from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

Now let’s learn a bit more about the state of Oregon. Before becoming a state, Oregon was inhabited by many indigenous tribes and settlers who created their own government in 1843. This land became known as the Oregon Territory and which eventually became the state of Oregon on February 14th 1859.

The City of Portland
Portland is Oregon’s largest city, and is nestled near the Willamette and Columbia rivers. The city is known for its public transportation systems and great land planning, the latter of which has earned Portland the reputation as one of the world’s most environmentally friendly cities. Locals enjoy Portland’s many microbreweries and rose gardens, especially because Portland is described as very outdoor friendly city with many outdoor activities. Portland was incorporated in 1851 and is located near the end of the Oregon Trail.

The Lovejoy Name
The Lovejoy fountain was the first in a series of fountains created for the South Auditorium District – a renewal district project with the aim to enrich the city. The fountain sits within the Lovejoy Plaza, a one-acre plaza designed by Halprin + Associates and Satoru Nishita, partner-in-charge. The plaza sits only 300 yards away from Pettygrove Park. The Lovejoy fountain is the centerpiece of the Lovejoy plaza which is connected to other parks including the famous Keller Fountain Park.

The fountain itself is named after Asa Lovejoy, one of the first landowners of the Portland Town site. Halprin the landscape architect formed the Halprin Landscape Conservancy in 2001 to enhance and protect the Lovejoy Plaza, the Ira Keller fountain and Pettyprove Park.

The fountain itself mimics a waterfall and creates the effect of rushing streams of water that complement the placid pool of water nearby. The entire space was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in March 2013.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic

The Holidays are here and what better way to enjoy such a great time than to travel? This week our journey take us to Barcelona, Spain! Home of one of the world’s best football teams, FC Barcelona. Barcelona is also known as being a collection of great architecture and art.

From the City’s iconic Camp Nou stadium, our destination takes us South East to one of Barcelona’s most popular locations, the Plaça d’Espanya – another monument made for the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition. Following the Avenida Maria Christina to the end we encounter the Magic Fountain of Montjuic.

The Fountain is sits on the porch of the national palace but also near a very important Italian styled building erected back in 1929, known as the National Art Museum of Catalonia. While the building has been standing for 84 years, it was only until 1990 that it was made into a national museum.

However, our focus today is not on historic buildings or intense soccer rivalry known as ‘el clasico,’ but on the very special Magic Fountain of Montjuic. The fountain was built for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition and was completed just a day before the exposition began.

Carles Buigas, the fountain’s engineer and designer faced some opposition when he proposed to build a fountain that would rely on mechanical jets to shoot streams of water into the air. Many argued that the project would not be completed in a year’s time for the Barcelona International Exposition.

Over the years the fountain has seen many changes and renovations. During the Spanish Civil war, the fountain was badly damaged and was not operational until 1955. In the 80s the fountain added music and for the 1992 Summer Olympics, the fountain was completely restored.

The fountain pumps 2,600 litters of water per second and reticulates water using 3 concentric pools. The fountains jets are illuminated to give a great fountain lighting experience. The fountain design has stayed virtually unchanged despite many renovations during the years. Many say this was one of the first fountains to synchronize music with lights and water, and remains to this day one of Barcelona’s most popular attractions.

Fountain Schedule

The Most Expensive Fountain

I hope you’re ready for some fun under the sun, because today we are visiting a city know for having world’s biggest, tallest, highest and most expensive of just about everything you can imagine. We are talking about Dubai, Emirate of Dubai within the United Arab Emirates.

The cities’ earliest settlement records date back to 1799 and Dubai was formally established on June 9th, 1833, after Sheikh Maktoum bin Butti Al-Maktoum brought 800 members of his tribe to settle at the Dubai Creek.

Dubai is an emirate; a political territory ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch. These emirates make up the Unites Arab Emirates. Nestled in the center of the Burj Dubai, is the Dubai Fountain. This record breaking fountain is to date, the world’s most expensive fountain, costing 217 million to make. The fountain’s price tag is well merited as the fountain spans a length of 900ft and propels water 500ft into the air.

See the Burj Dubai in action:

The fountain is the work of WET Designs, a company known for building the impressive Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas. To keep things visible for up to 20 miles away, the Dubai fountain includes 6,600 WET super lights and 25 color projectors. However, the fountain can also be synchronized to different styles of music ranging from classical to contemporary. The super fountain was inaugurated on May 8th, 2009 and sits in a 30 acre lake known as Burj Dubai lake.

See the sheer scale of the Burj Dubai in this picture:

Within the same downtown development sits the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa and next to it, the world’s largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall. Dubai is the city of wonder with many of the world’s latest and greatest, just make sure to carry some cash, because it is also the 22nd most expensive city in the world.

The Peacock Fountain

A commonly photographed tourist attraction, The Peacock Fountain located in Christchurch Botanic Gardens is truly a sight for sore eyes. And no, we’re not talking about the animal “peacock” when referring to this fountain, but rather the man it was was named after.

The fountain came about when John Thomas Peacock gave a large sum of money to beautify “the reserves and gardens in the city of Christchurch” and the Avon River.

This fountain, constructed by Coalbrookdale Iron Works, was unveiled in 1911, then moved to another location, then finally put in storage for years due to maintenance issues. In 1996, after a $270,000 renovation, it was commission to be instated at it’s third location: Christchurch.

From bright colors to beautiful-crafted detail, this fountain has a lot of unique traits not as commonly found in the works of traditional water features. Over the years, many onlookers have had many opinions (not always flattering) about the design of the Peacock Fountain. Robert Herdman Smith, head of the Canterbury College School of Art claimed it “exhibited no more taste than the gaudy decoration used by travelling showmen to embellish their merry go-rounds.” Albeit a controversial color scheme, I found it to be rather lovely.

My favorite part is the bright color scheme. So many fountains stick to monochromatic, so it was refreshing to see something so out of the ordinary. The slight touches of red and the natural and unnatural colorations of the featured creatures was fascinating! I’m also a big fan of the sea monster-esque ornaments who reside on the bottom detail of the fountain. If you’re ever in Christchurch, New Zealand – this fountain is most definitely a must-see.

The Midnight Rainbow Fountain

Today we are going to have a little bit of fun and use our imagination. Instead admiring the conventional walk-up fountain that sprays up – or pours down, we are going to drive on this fountain! Well, technically, we are going to drive over the bridge on which the fountain is affixed. Do I have your attention yet? To make things more interesting, this fountain also happens to be the world’s longest fountain, falling just shy of a mile long – that’s a whopping 4,905ft long!

So where are we exactly? Seoul, South Korea, on the Banpo bridge that crosses the Han River. This two-tiered, downtown Seoul bridge connects the Seocho and Yongsan districts – it is also partially submersible. When the river’s water level rises, the lower section of the bridge is coved completely by water. However, what attracts the most tourists and the attention of locals is the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain.

The beautifully designed fountain sits along the sidebars of the bridge and uses 200 lights to illuminate the bridge beautifully during dark nights. The custom fountain is lauded for being environmentally friendly because it recycles the Han River’s water – an estimated 190 tons per minute without wasting a single drop. The custom fountain was installed September 2009, and has a total of 380 nozzles and requires 38 pumps to feed its appetite. Those powerful pumps propel beautifully colored water streams up to 20 meters high and 43 meters away.

So if you are ever in South Korea and can visit Seoul, make sure to drive over the Banpo Bridge and see the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain in action! The fountain operates from April to October, with 20-minute shows five times Monday – Thursday, six times on Friday, and seven times on the Weekends.

The Fountain of Wealth

This week my travels take me to Singapore, a sovereign city-state located off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The island was founded in 1819 and gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1963, separating a second time from Malaysia in September of 1963.

The Island is known for its great casinos, medical tourism and education, but I’m after something specific. Located in the southern part of the island within the Marina Center sector, a reclaimed land zone known as the downtown core houses 5 buildings and a convention center known as Suntec City. Within this multi-use development center turned mall is one special fountain.

The Fountain of Wealth is listed as 2008’s Guinness Book of Records largest fountain. During the day, the fountain is turned off and visitors are encouraged to walk around the fountain’s central fountain and collect coins for good luck. During night hours, the fountain is the center of laser performances and between 8-9 PM special laser dedication messages can be made.

The fountain is the hub of the mall, located in the center. If the entire Suntec City sector were viewed from above, its five buildings and convention center would form a hand. Build in 1995, the fountain is inspired by the Hindu Mandala, a symbol for ‘oneness in spirit and unity’ and the word itself means ‘universe.’ The fountain is made of a 108 ft diameter silicon bronze ring held up by four slanted columns. The fountain stands at over 45 feet and its base is located underground.

The fountain symbolizes the equality and harmony of all races and religions in Singapore.

Continuum

The Julie Penrose Fountain is an amazing fountain in all respects. It towers over the open spaces of the America the Beautiful Park and sits atop a large pedestal that seconds as a turntable. The result is a sculpture that rotates every 15 minutes, and provides a delightful detail for many spectators to detect.

Dubbed ‘Continuum’ by creator Bill Burgess, this Colorado Springs fountain represents the life-giving properties of water and depicts in a simple way, precipitation from the sky. The sculpture stands over 40ft tall and weighs in at around 24 tons.

Architect David Barber lined the circular fountain with 366 water jets that spray water down to the fountain’s base where the fluid runs a circular path to the mouth of a pool and is collected for everyone to play in. The fountain is one of the Nation’s largest ‘sculptural fountains,’ and runs daily from 11:00 am to 5:30 pm between May 23 to August 22, and is open only on weekends from August 23 through Labor Day.

Dedicated June 7th 2007, the fountain’s construction underwent many setbacks due to budget crunches and uncertain funding. However, the fountain eventually received funding through the generous donations of El Pomar Foundation supporters. The organization was created to enrich the well being of Colorado residents. The Julie Penrose fountain is named after El Pomar Foundation Co-founder Julie Penrose, both she and her husband Spencer supported the project from its beginning.

Five Rivers Fountains of Light

This week my travels take me to the lovely city of Dayton Ohio. This mid-sized city is beautifully juxtaposed by modern buildings and historical landmarks which set the backdrop for a very satisfying visit to one of the world’s largest fountains: the Five Rivers Fountain of Lights.

Let’s learn a little more about Dayton before we talk about the impressive water feature. The city is considered by many to be the birthplace of aviation, and is home to the Nation’s largest military aviation museum – the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The city also hosts one of the Nation’s premiere air shows, the Vectren Dayton Air Show.

As if almost by coincidence, Dayton also sits on one of the Nation’s most plentiful aquifers: the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer. This underground reservoir of natural water is the source for our impressive fountain located at the intersection of Mad River and the Miami River.

The Five Rivers Fountain of Lights is a unique fountain because of its new technology and sculptural design to create a work of art. The fountain is made of 5 evenly-spaced jet powered pumps which sit on the bank of both rivers and spray water streams to a central 6th pump which propels water 200 feet in the air. This fountain has a tremendous thirst for water, and consumes 2,500 gallons of water per minutes.

The fountain is open from Memorial day to Labor day from 6:55am – 9:55pm and 10:55 – 9:55pm on weekends. For safety, the fountain uses directional wind sensors which can shut down individual jets for 10 minutes intervals when windspeed or wind direction threaten to compromise traffic. This feature also works during the winter months and helps keep traffic moving and the show going.

The fountains 5 jets are made from aluminum spires which rise up 60 feet in the air, and were sculpted to reflect the sun’s light in moray patters over the river. When night rolls in, the spires are covered with 25 ‘intelligent’ lights which can recreate almost every color imaginable. However, the most surprising features of this bridge is that it does not draw its water directly from the lake, but from the aquifer below, preventing costly maintenance and costly construction.

If you are visiting Dayton, make sure to stop by RiverScape Metro Park and witness this amazing fountain first hand.

Thrasher Memorial Fountain

 
“I’m on my way, I’m going back to Alabam.”

Yes, it’s true folks, my travels take to The Heart of Dixie, to a city known as the Watercress capital of the world. Anyone know what I’m talking about?

Well, if you guessed Huntsville Alabama then you guessed correctly, and I commend you for your excellent knowledge of North American History. Extra points to those who were able to identify the the song “Alabam,” by Cowboy Copas!

The city of Huntsville is home to several cool attractions, history and culture – it’s the perfect place to find a special fountain known as the Big Spring Park Fountain located in Big Spring Park.
 

 
The fountain, the centerpiece of the park, was donated back in 2005 and is accompanied by a plaza with benches and landscaping. The fountain sits within a circular basin that is connected by a canal extension which feeds to an open body of water. The Thrasher family donated the park in memory of their father Tom Thrasher. The fountain construction was made to memorialize healthy living for the people of Huntsville.

The fountain design has been the center piece of some local fun and for St. Patrick’s Day, the fountain and its canal are dyed green to celebrate the special day.

Other fun attractions in Huntsville include the NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command. Finally, if you are in town, the Panoply Arts Festival should give you something to think about.

The Blood Fountain – Swansea Wales, UK

I was lounging today, taking a day off from my travels and thinking about this fountain I once visited. I traveled to Wales and found something very spooky!

Halloween is coming up, and I thought this was the perfect fountain to talk about to get the blood pumping for the holiday… literally. This fountain is called, “The Blood Fountain.”

Found in Castle Gardens, Swansea – this fountain is tinted red, and has a caution sign warning bystanders that the fountain dye may stain clothing. Now, I’m not sure if the fountain’s water is red all the time, but the dying of the water started during an event to support heart disease, and celebrate National Heart Month.

The whole community came together around this fountain and they shared in a picnic filled with heart-healthy goodies. Everyone was dressed in red and and all in support of the British Heart Foundation’s efforts to keep hearts healthy and people happy. It was wonderful!

Fountains can be such a call to joy. Festivals happen around fountains, people drop all their wishes into them, and they generally bring such life to a place that might not be so lively otherwise.

So this Halloween, go find a fountain, make a wish, stay safe, and why not keep your heart healthy while you’re at it!