Depew Memorial Fountain

Depew Memorial Fountain
Depew Memorial Fountain Indianapolis.jpg

Depew Memorial Fountain is a freestanding fountain completed in 1919 and located in University Park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana within the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza.

Contents

Description

The fountain is composed of multiple bronze figures arranged on a five-tier Stony Creek pink granite base with three basins. The bronze sculptures depict fish, eight children dancing, and a woman on the topmost tier dancing and playing cymbals. The overall dimensions are approximately 25 x 45 x 45 feet (14 m).

A memorial plaque is located on south side of the large granite basin. It reads:

Depew Memorial Fountain. A gift to Indianapolis from Emma Ely Depew in memory of her husband Richard Johnson Depew M.D. whose long and honorable life was spent in untiring service to his fellow men.

Artists

History

Depew Memorial Fountain, water off
Bitter's maquette for the fountain

University Park was redesigned in 1914 by George Edward Kessler for a park and boulevard system he had developed for the city of Indianapolis. Depew Fountain was an original component of the plan and was designed by the sculptor Karl Bitter in the same year.[1]

The Depew Memorial Fountain was commissioned in memory of Dr. Richard J. Depew by his wife, Emma Ely, following Dr. Depew’s death in 1887. When Mrs. Depew died in 1913, she had bequeathed $50,000 from her estate to the city of Indianapolis for the erection of a fountain in memory of her husband “in some park or public place where all classes of people may enjoy it.”[2]

An information plaque, located on the north side of the fountain, reads:

This fountain is the culmination of work by three noted figures in late-19th-century and early 20th-century public art. The original design was created by Karl Bitter, who was killed in a traffic accident in 1915 before the work could be realized. Following Bitter’s overall design, Alexander Stirling Calder created the bronze figures and the fountain. Henry Bacon, a well-known landscape architect, designed the fountain’s setting.

In 1926 young women from the Albertina Rasch ballet performed an interpretive dance around the fountain, mimicking the bronze sculptures thereon, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the fountain.[3]

References

Coordinates: 39°46′19″N 86°9′25″W / 39.77194°N 86.15694°W / 39.77194; -86.15694


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Indiana World War Memorial Plaza — Historic District U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark District …   Wikipedia

  • Medal of Honor Memorial (Indianapolis) — Medal of Honor Memorial, May 2007 The Medal of Honor Memorial is a monument located in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It is dedicated in honor of all recipients of the Medal of Honor, the United States military s highest award for valor. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Alexander Stirling Calder — (* 11. Januar 1870 in Philadelphia; † 7. Januar 1945 in New York City) war ein US amerikanischer Bildhauer. Inha …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Oldfields — (Josiah Kirby Lilly, Jr. House) U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark District …   Wikipedia

  • Henry Bacon — (November 28 1866 ndash; February 17 1924) an American Beaux Arts architect, is best remembered for his severe Greek Doric Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (built 1915 ndash;1922), which was his final project. Education and early career Henry …   Wikipedia

  • Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis) — For other monuments with the same name, see Soldiers and Sailors Monument (disambiguation). State Soldiers and Sailors Monument U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Military Park (Indianapolis) — For other parks named Military Park, see Military Park. Military Park U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. Histor …   Wikipedia

  • Coal Miner (statue) — Coal Miner, John J. Szaton, 1966, front view Year 1966 (1966) Type bronze statue Dimensions 220 cm × 67 cm × 71 cm (85 in × 26.5 in …   Wikipedia

  • Crown Hill Cemetery — U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. Historic district …   Wikipedia

  • Crown Hill National Cemetery — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”