Engineering Fountain
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The Purdue Mall Water Sculpture , often referred to as the Engineering Fountain, is a water sculpture and fountain located at the main campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The sculpture is positioned in the heart of campus on the Purdue Mall. Designed by Robert Youngman, the fountain was a gift from the class of 1939. As a result of its benefactors, the fountain is often referred to as the Class of '39 Water Sculpture. The fountain was officially dedicated to the university in 1989 during homecoming on the fiftieth anniversary of the class of 1939.
The idea for the design of the fountain was developed by Youngman and the head of the Department of Creative Arts was sketched on a napkin at a casual meeting over coffee in Purdue Memorial Union. The fountain has four vertical parabolic structures with a one large jet of water spraying up through the center. It is surrounded by benches for enjoying the fountain. Taresah Youngman, Robert's daughter, assisted in the project. It was never built with a fence around it or a pool for the water to collect, but rather a drain in the center to resupply the water to the main jet. The fountain stands 38 feet tall and is made of 228 tons of concrete. The total cost of the fountain is believed to be around $350,000. It sprays 588 gallons of water per minute into the air while it is running. Colored lights illuminate the water during the evening. The fountain runs from the second week in April through the end of October or as weather permits.
The fountain is the iconic center of Purdue Mall, which is often informally referred as Engineering Mall due to the proximity of the engineering related buildings around the mall. Originally built with an open jet shooting straight up into the air, students soon made the tradition of running through the fountain on warm days. Due to potential injuries, the University, much to the dismay of the students, placed a mirrored cylinder around the jet. This cylinder has not stopped students from participating in the tradition of a fountain run on warm days after class or after the summer graduation ceremonies.
