Bagley Memorial Fountain
Bagley Memorial Fountain is a historic fountain in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Designed in 1885 for the Bagley family by Henry Hobson Richardson, it was dedicated in 1887 at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Fort Street. The fountain was built entirely of pink Bragville granite and modeled after a ciborium in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. It stands 21 feet high with a basin 7 feet across, and four lion heads at the center distribute water. The fountain was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971. It has since been moved from Campus Martius Park to Cadillac Square Park.
November 2022 © w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0
November 2022 © w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0
© Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0
January 1887 © Cornell University Library · No restrictions
© Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Identification | |
| Title | Bagley Memorial Fountain |
| Alternative name | Bagley Fountain |
| Type | historic fountain |
| Original-language name | Fuente Conmemorativa Bagley |
Historical context | |
| Intended water quality | Water cold and pure as the coldest mountain stream |
| Dedication date | 1887 |
| National Register of Historic Places | listed |
| Michigan State Historic Site designation | designated in 1971 |
| Bequest | $5,000 in John J. Bagley's will for a drinking fountain for the people of Detroit |
| Civic contributions | Instrumental in creating the Detroit Metropolitan Police Commission and constructing the first Detroit House of Corrections |
| Biographical note | Governor of Michigan from 1873 to 1877; Detroit alderman from 1860 to 1861; police commissioner from 1865 to 1872 |
| Dedicatee | John J. Bagley, 16th governor of Michigan |
Creator | |
| Designer | Henry Hobson Richardson |
| Design date | 1885 |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Commissioned by | the Bagley family |
Location and ownership | |
| Original location | Corner of Woodward Avenue and Fort Street, Detroit |
| Former location | Campus Martius Park, Detroit |
| Current location | Cadillac Square Park, Detroit |
| Move year | 1926 |
| Relocation reason | Increase of automobile traffic |
History and restoration | |
| Removal year | 2000 |
| Replacement fountainhead | A new lion fountainhead replaced the original, which was stolen |
| Reinstallation year | 2007 |
| Removal action | Removed from site, disassembled, and put into storage |
Physical characteristics | |
| Height | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Basin width | 2.1 m (7 ft across) |
Materials | |
| Material | pink Bragville granite |
Technique | |
| Construction | built entirely of pink Bragville granite |
Appearance | |
| Model | a ciborium in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice |
| Water features | Four lion heads distribute water at the center of the fountain |
| Original water arrangement | Two lion heads produced normal-temperature water and two produced cold water chilled by ice packed around the fountain pipes |
| Inscription | TESTAMENTARY GIFT | FOR THE PEOPLE FROM | JOHN JVDSON BAGLEY | A.D. MDCCCLXXXVII |
| Inscription placement | On the four sides of the cornice |
| Depicted detail | Reliefs on the fountain spouts |
Significance | |
| Attribution | The only remaining work by Richardson in the Detroit area |
Other | |
| Depicted in image | Bagley Fountain and the Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in the 1890s |