The Genius of Water
| Tyler Davidson Fountain | |
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| Nickname(s): "The Lady", "The Cincinnati Angel" | |
| Coordinates: 39°6′5.9″N 84°30′44.8″W / 39.101639°N 84.512444°WCoordinates: 39°6′5.9″N 84°30′44.8″W / 39.101639°N 84.512444°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Elevation | 482 ft (147 m) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 513 |
| Website | http://www.myfountainsquare.com |
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Davidson, Tyler, Fountain
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| Location | 5th St., Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 39°6′5.9″N 84°30′44.8″W / 39.101639°N 84.512444°W |
| Area | 1.2 acres (0.49 ha) |
| Built | 1867 |
| NRHP Reference # | 79001854 |
| Added to NRHP | October 11, 1979 |
The Tyler Davidson Fountain or The Genius of Water is a statue and fountain located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is regarded as the city's symbol and one of the area's most-visited attractions. It was dedicated in 1871 and is the centerpiece of Fountain Square, a hardscape plaza at the corner of 5th and Vine Streets in the downtown area. It is surrounded by stores, hotels, restaurants and offices. Originally, and for more than 130 years, it was located in the center of 5th Street (Fountain Square's original configuration), immediately west of Walnut Street. In 2006, renovations were undertaken to Fountain Square, and the Tyler Davidson Fountain was temporarily removed. When reinstalled it was relocated to a much wider space near the north end of the reconfigured square, closer to the Fifth Third Bank Building and away from street traffic. The fountain is turned off for the winter months and turned on again in time for the first home game of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds.
The 43-foot-tall (13 m) fountain is cast in bronze and sits on a green granite base. The inscription "To the People of Cincinnati" appears on its base.
The artistic fountain's motif is water, in homage the river city's continuing debt to the Ohio River. The central figure, the Genius of Water—a female in heroic size—pours down the symbolic longed-for rain from hundreds of jets pierced in her outstretched fingers. The figure is 9 feet high and weighs 2 tons.
The pedestal itself is square with four representations in basso-relievo of four principal uses of water; namely, steam, water-power, navigation, and the fisheries. The first is typified by workers in iron using a trip hammer powered by an engine in the background; the second, by peasants carrying corn to a watermill; the third, by a steamboat leaving the shore, lined by numbers waving farewell; the fourth, by groups of fishermen and children.
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