Oak Park, River Forest Fountain - Oak Park, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 53.326 W 087° 47.681
16T E 434071 N 4637730
The rebuilt drinking fountain consists of a concrete shaft with square fountain opening in the center and flower box on top. There is a small relief panel on each face of the center shaft and two small reliefs panels on the inside of center opening.
Waymark Code: WMH6AE
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 05/29/2013
Views: 3
Continued from the Smithsonian website:
A trough at the base was designed for horses and dogs.
The sculpture, whose design was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, was originally installed about 100 ft. west of its present location with funds raised by the Oak Park Horse Show Association. When the fountain was moved and rededicated in 1969, the concrete had deteriorated seriously, and the sculpture panels were severely eroded. Sculptor Jerald Jacquard recreated the reliefs in the style of Richard Bock.
Also known as Horse Show Fountain, Scoville Street Fountain, Lake Street Fountain, and Wright-Bock Fountain.
Dimensions: Approx. 10 x 7 x 3 ft.
From Bock's memoirs:
"At the time the Unity Temple was being built I was also commissioned to design a drinking fountain "for man and beast" in Oak Park. This fountain was to be erected at curbside,..., with funds raised by a horse show. My design was a center shaft with sculptured panels on each face, a flower box on top, and a trough like base for horses and dogs to drink. I showed my design to Frank (Lloyd Wright) and asked how he liked it. He looked at it at length with approval, then he made a suggestion, took a pencil and poked a square hole through the center shaft, changing it to a double shaft. "Now Dicky," he said "You got something." That is the way I completed it, sculptured panels on the inner faces. The only difficulty was that now he (Wright) began to lay claim to the whole project...As for me, I feel flattered he would wish to claim it, and would ask for no better tribute."
Inscriptions located on concrete panels above the fountain tray read "Erected in 1909 Oak Park Horse Show Association" and "Wright-Bock Plaza Fountain restored 1969." The Horse Show Association inscription is on a sculpted plaque held by two kneeling female forms, below the plaque is a tree trunk and above it the tree's leaves.
TITLE: Oak Park, River Forest Fountain
ARTIST(S): Bock, Richard W., 1865-1949, sculptor. Jacquard, 1937- , sculptor.
DATE: 1909.; Relocated 1969.
MEDIUM: Concrete.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 87580143
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
Southeast corner of Scoville Park, Lake Street & Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
none
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