Columbus Fountain
 |
|
| Artist | Lorado Taft |
|---|---|
| Year | 1912 |
| Type | Marble |
| Dimensions | 14 m × 20 m × 13 m (45 ft × 66 ft × 44 ft) |
| Condition |
Inoperable static display |
|
Union Station Plaza and Columbus Fountain
|
|
 
|
|
| Coordinates | 38°53′47.04″N 77°0′23.76″W / 38.8964000°N 77.0066000°WCoordinates: 38°53′47.04″N 77°0′23.76″W / 38.8964000°N 77.0066000°W |
| NRHP Reference # | 80004523 |
| Added to NRHP | April 09, 1980 |
| Location | Washington, D.C., United States |
| 38°53′47.04″N 77°0′23.76″W / 38.8964000°N 77.0066000°W | |
| Owner | National Park Service |
Inoperable static display
Columbus Fountain is a public artwork by American sculptor Lorado Taft, located at Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States. A centerpiece of Columbus Circle, Columbus Fountain serves as a tribute to the explorer Christopher Columbus.
Columbus Fountain is a semicircular double-basin fountain with a shaft (h. 45 ft.) in the center. The front of the shaft bears a full-length portrait of Christopher Columbus (approx. h. 15 ft.) wearing a mantle, staring forward with his hands folded in front of him. Beneath him is a ship prow that features a winged figurehead that represents the observation of discovery. A globe, representing the Western hemisphere, is on top of the shaft with four eagles on each corner connected by garland. The left and right sides of the shaft have two male figures decorating them. The right side figure is an elderly man, representing the Old World, and on the let side is a figure of a Native American, representing the New World. The back of the shaft has a low-relief medallion (approx. d. 3 ft.) with images of Ferdinand & Isabella. Two lions (approx. h. 5 ft.), placed away from the base, guard the left and right side of the fountain.
The back of the shaft is inscribed:
The fountain sits in the center of the Columbus traffic circle in front of Union Station.
The fountain, which was co-created by Taft and architect Daniel Burnham, was influenced by a fountain designed by Frederick MacMonnies that was displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. This work depicted a figure of Columbia sitting on a ship with a figure of Fame standing on a ship prow holding a trumpet and a representational figure of Time dominating the stern.
...
Wikipedia