Bagley Memorial Fountain

Infobox_nrhp | name =Bagley Memorial Fountain
nrhp_type =

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caption = Bagley Memorial Fountain at its new location in Cadillac Square Park
location= Detroit, Michigan
lat_degrees = 42
lat_minutes = 19
lat_seconds = 55
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 83
long_minutes = 2
long_seconds = 48
long_direction = W
locmapin = Michigan
area =
built =1885
architect= H. H. Richardson
architecture= No Style Listed
added = November 05, 1971
governing_body = Local
refnum=71000422cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2008-04-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

The Bagley Memorial Fountain is a fountain in Detroit, Michigan. It has recently been moved from its long-time location in Campus Martius to a new location in Cadillac Square Park.

John J. Bagley

John J. Bagley was the 16th governor of Michigan, serving from 1873 to 1877. [http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/historic/districts/bagley_fountain.pdf Bagley Memorial Fountain] from the city of Detroit] Bagley also served as a Detroit Alderman from 1860-61 and as Police Commissioner from 1865-72. He was instrumental in the creation of the Detroit Metropolitan Police Commission and the construction of the first Detroit House of Correction. When Bagley died in 1881, his will contained $5,000 for the construction of a drinking fountain for the people of Detroit, having "water cold and pure as the coldest mountain stream."

Fountain

In 1885, the Bagley family chose Henry Hobson Richardson to design the fountain. [http://books.google.com/books?id=gBDXfLHsnc4C Jeffrey Karl Ochsner,] "H.H. Richardson, Complete Architectural Works," MIT Press, 1982, ISBN:0262650150, p. 400.] In 1887, the Bagley Memorial Fountain was dedicated at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Fort Street. Richardson constructed the fountain entirely out of pink Bragville granite, modeled after a ciborium located in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. The Bagley Memorial Fountain stands 21 feet high with a basin 7 feet across. At the center of the fountain, four lion heads distribute water. In the original design, two of the heads produced "normal" temperature water and the other two produced cold water, chilled by ice packed around the fountain pipes. Words on the cornice of the fountain tell the origin of the gift.

Later moves

In 1926 the fountain was moved from its original home at Woodward and Fort to Campus Martius because of the increase of automobile traffic. In 2000, the fountain was removed from it site, disassembled, and put into storage. [http://www.dwsd.org/announce/flow/InTheFlow_winter_2007.pdf "Bagley Fountain Makes a Comeback,"] "In the Flow," Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, V7 n1 (Winter 2007)] In 2007, the fountain was installed in its current location in Cadillac Square; a new lion fountainhead replaced the original, which was stolen. It is the only remaining work by Richardson in the Detroit area.

References