Lotta's Fountain

Lotta Crabtree Fountain
Location Market, Geary, and Kearny Sts., San Francisco, California
Coordinates 37°47′17″N 122°24′13″W / 37.78806°N 122.40361°WCoordinates: 37°47′17″N 122°24′13″W / 37.78806°N 122.40361°W
Area 0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built 1875
Governing body Local
NRHP Reference # 75000475[1]
SFDL # 73
Significant dates
Added to NRHP June 20, 1975
Designated SFDL 1975[2]

Lotta's fountain is a historical fountain located at the intersection of Market Street, where Geary and Kearny Streets connect in downtown San Francisco, California.

History

Lotta's Fountain in 1905, looking east along Market Street, the San Francisco Ferry Building's clock tower in the distance.

The fountain was commissioned by Lotta Crabtree as a gift to the city of San Franscisco. It was dedicated on September 9, 1875.[3]

The cast iron fountain served as a meeting point during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires, which is commemorated by a metal panel attached to the monument. Another panel, installed in 1911, mentions legendary opera soprano Luisa Tetrazzini, who sang for the people of San Francisco at the fountain on Christmas Eve, 1910. The bronze column was added in 1916 to equal the height of new lights being installed along Market Street.

Commemorations of the earthquake, including a dwindling pool of survivors, are held every year at 5:12 a.m. on April 18 at the intersection. It was relocated from its original location at 3rd, Market and Kearny in 1974 during the renovation of Market Street.

In 1999, the fountain, which had suffered neglect in the past decades, was totally refurbished to its 1875 appearance. It is painted with a metallic gold-brown paint. The lion's head-motif fountain stations located on the sides of the column flow during daytime hours.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  2. ↑ "City of San Francisco Designated Landmarks". City of San Francisco. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Lotta's Fountain, (sculpture).". Save Outdoor Sculpture, California, San Francisco survey. 1994. Retrieved December 27, 2011.

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lotta's Fountain.