In 2014, the Centennial fountain that sat outside the former Vancouver courthouse was removed after nearly half a century. It had been turned off the year before after a leak was found in the Vancouver Art Gallery’s storage area. While the new, sterile looking plaza hasn’t been wholeheartedly embraced, neither was the fountain when it was designed by Robert Savery, a landscape gardener employed by the provincial government in 1966.
This story is from Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History.
We had a Paint-in:
Vancouver turned 80 on April 6, 1966 and Mayor Bill Rathie held a paint-in. The event was a huge success and included over 100 art students who had signed up and been assigned spots along the hoarding. The art stayed up until the fountain was revealed the following December.
The Big Reveal:
The Centennial fountain was a $45,000 gift to the City of Vancouver. It featured a 4.8 metre marble sculpture designed by artist Alex von Svoboda, blue and green mosaic tiles with colours that changed at night, and pumped out over 1.3 million litres of water an hour. The local artistic community were outraged and said the government should keep out of the fountain business and put all public art to a competition. “[Government] employees aren’t qualified to design works of art or sculpture. They are incompetent in these fields of art,” said Frank Low-Beer, chair of the community arts council committee.
They had a point, but I loved that fountain anyway.
The Fountain:
Over the next 48 years, the fountain endured visits from canoeists, waders and pranksters with soapsuds. It was the meeting place and rallying point for dozens of public demonstrations including Grey Cup rioters and anti-war protesters in the 1960s, 4/20 cannabis smoke-ins and the tent city of Occupy Vancouver in 2011.
The Centennial Fountain replaced Charles Marega’s from 1912. His fountain languished in storage until 1983 when the VAG moved into the building, and it was installed at the Hornby Street side.
May be there’s hope for a reappearance of Savery’s 1966 fountain.
© All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, content copyright Eve Lazarus.
11 comments on “Our Missing Heritage: The Centennial Fountain”
Although I no longer live in Vancouver, I loved the fountain too. The plaza, like you said, is now very sterile. The fountain gave the plaza life. Now it’s flat with hard lines…organic is better. Even some greenery would help. I do hope the next time I’m in Vancouver another water feature will be in place.
Love our history, forgot about the fountain. It was a ‘Cold Case’ in the winter will all of that cold water flowing. The area in front of the old art gallery is looking pretty bland today, very unpretty.
If my memory serves me I think Ivory Snow was the detergent of choice to foul the fountain
Ha! A former high school classmate of mine admitted to knowing something about that (years ago, shortly after it happened). 😀 😀
The “Paint In” on the fence was a great idea, and it spawned similar events elsewhere. My parents attended a Burnaby basement recreation room party, where people attending could create their own artwork on the basement walls. Mum told me afterwards that there were a number of SFU professors present, and they were calling the new university SFA. In addition, people were smoking more than just cigarettes.
I liked the fountain, but the tall Centennial Pylons along Georgia Street facing the Court House were a total waste of money.
I miss that fountain and the greenery so much! As I kid I loved the Frog Prince theme. It seems that today’s sterile concrete plaza has been put in place mainly so the damage will be easier and cheaper to clean up after the all the protesters, partiers, potheads, etc. etc. have departed. Hopefully someday the fountain will find a new home.
First of all both front and back plaza’s far to small. When there are events ugly fencing is used. Benches with planters were installed but one look at that disgraceful EdwardVII fountain says it all about maintaining it.
In the summers the fluoride smell in the water would be pungent.
The plaza was to have this giant ring above lighting I suppose but if ans when that gets addes with the lazy City of Vamcouver neglect squad at work.
I mean what do tourists think?
As employees at the Vancouver Art Gallery we were told fantastic tales from the past. One story describes the days when the building was used as a courthouse. The groundskeeper was observed as doing very well for himself financially, though his wage certainly didn’t reflect it. Then the reason became clear. He was found each Friday dredging the bottom of the fountain – the day after weekly divorce court – scooping up tossed wedding rings!
Thanks for writing Sally, I love everything about this story!
Glad to share with you, Eve. I love the dimension you give to our city, and our experience of it!
I grew up on the 1200 block of Georgia Street, blocks down the street from the fountain. I remember it being built and never did understand why it was unpopular with some people. I often walked past it to Granville Street, the main shopping and entertainment area at the time. The old Devonshire, Georgia, and Vancouver hotels were going full blast then.