A few years ago, in a post about silence and its opposite, noise, I mentioned how the sound of running water can help mask urban noise. (See https://shuswapreflections.blogspot.com/2019/08/listening-to-silence.html)
I doubt that the designers of fountains thought about the possibility that fountains can distract us from the sounds of vehicles. Their focus was on design, aesthetics, and function. And, as I am discovering, there are many beautiful fountains in Victoria. Many of them are near busy streets, where they do indeed help us live with urban noise.
I'll start with one of my favourites, the Centennial Fountain:
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| The Centennial Fountain is at the "back" of the Legislature. It was unveiled in 1962 to honour British Columbia's Centennial. The fountain was designed by landscape architect Robert Savery, and constructed by the Department of Public Works. |
The Centennial Fountain was designed with sculptures of animals representing the Indigenous peoples who lived on this land at the time of European colonization. Much of the public art around BC's colonial history pays little attention to the First Peoples who were here; one of the reasons I like this fountain is because of its recognition of Indigenous Peoples, and its use of their languages for the Wolf, Eagle, Bear and Raven..
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| One of four animals representing Indigenous Peoples at the Centennial Fountain. |
The more well known fountain at the BC Legislature is the Centre Fountain, north of the Legislature.
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| Centre Fountain on the BC Legislature grounds, built in 1905. Originally there were three upper basins but these were removed in 1921. For many years the fountain was unpopular. Apparently residents disliked its design and location, with some expressing the opinion it was not impressive enough for its position in front of the ceremonial entrance of the legislature. (Source: https://www.leg.bc.ca/dyl/Pages/Centre-Fountain.aspx). Note the photo is also from this source. |
Moving from the Legislature grounds to Centennial Square near City Hall, I have been intrigued by the Square's fountain and its unusual ceramic pieces. I couldn't understand the white surround which seemed an odd contrast to the earthy tones of the ceramic. I learned the fountain was a gift to the citizens of Victoria from the citizens of Oak Bay, Esquimalt, and Saanich on Victoria's 100th birthday. The fountain was designed to be the focal point of the Square, which was intended for use by the public, and for recreation. The Square was considered ahead of its time in terms of design when it was developed in the 1960s. The three ceramic monoliths were carved with symbols representing human stages of life.
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| When built the fountain was intended as a place for people to sit and relax around it. However, councillors at the time were upset that young people (one councillor said "hippies") were lolling about the fountain, and voted to erect a stucco surround to make it more uncomfortable for people to use. Now, apparently, the stucco cannot be removed without serious damage to the fountain. |
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| The fountain just before Christmas during a cold spell. Somehow the white stucco around the fountain looks more appealing in winter. The white wire structures in the background are part of a Christmas light display in the square. |
Another prominent fountain in the downtown area is outside the Bay Centre. I have not been able to learn anything of its history, although I have learned that portions of the facade of the Bay Centre were salvaged from the Driard Hotel. Built in 1892, this was Victoria's most prestigious hotel before the Empress was built. Perhaps some of the work around the fountain dates back to the Driard.
As a complete aside: The now-demolished Driard was designed by John Teague, an architect who was also mayor of Victoria from 1894 to 1895. I have learned more about Teague while wandering Victoria and will have to feature some of his buildings in a future post. Some of the beautiful houses he designed are still standing on Vancouver Street.
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| The ornate fountain outside the Bay Centre. |
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| The fountain from a different angle. |
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| Some detail |
The fountain theme is continued indoors at the Bay Centre.
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| Bay Centre indoor fountains and pools |
So far I've included images of the Centennial Fountain (BC's 100th birthday), and the fountain in Centennial square (Victoria's 100th birthday). There is also a fountain celebrating Canada's centennial in 1967, in Confederation Garden Court.
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| Confederation Garden Court Fountain. The Court was built to honour Canada's centennial in 1967. |
As with so much about Canada's colonial history, images of the "Crown" abound with the Confederation fountain. The provincial coats of arms which appeal to me the most are those without the Union Jack.
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| Nunavut coat of arms - I liked the simplicity of the elegant design. |
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| North West Territories coat of arms - another simple design. |
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| The attractive waterfall at the back of the garden court. I suspect this might be often overlooked by visitors, because of the prominence of the fountain. |
With the name "Confederation Garden Court", it was inevitable that the maple leaf would appear as a thematic element in the design. I liked the unobrusive, elegant way this was achieved in the trellis work below.
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| Maple leaf design, Confederation Garden Court |
Besides the Bay Centre fountain I have found others on private property. A couple of examples follow.
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| Fountain at the Chateau Victoria entrance |
A sculpture, "Shaker" forms part of the fountain installation, depicting a fisherman and his dog. According to the CRD entry on its public art website, this sculpture is a "rezoning amenity". I take this to mean that one of the stipulations for granting the rezoning was that the City required the public amenity to be installed. A plaque states that "Shaker", by sculptor Nathan Scott, was installed in 2004, although I found references online to the fountain dating back to the early '70s.
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| Detail, "Shaker", outside Chateau Victoria |
Another hotel provides the next example of a fountain on private property; this one is the Parkside, which features fountains both outside and in.
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| The exterior water feature is understated, but attractive, with considerable mature landscaping. Inside, though, the ponds, fountains and waterfalls are a major asset of the hotel, giving the lobby a peaceful serenity where visitors can enjoy the energy of water. |
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| Part of a pond in the lobby of the Parkside Hotel |
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| Interior pond and exterior waterfalls, Parkside Hotel |
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| Courtyard of Marifield Park apartments. While this is on private property, the sound of the waterfall can be enjoyed while walking up Simcoe Street, amidst its verdant greenery. |
I've mentioned the water features at the recently constructed Capital Park development in James Bay in a previous post. Here is one more image, to remind us that fountains do need maintenance.
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| The pools in Capital Park require frequent clearing of leaves and other debris. |
Parks often have ponds with fountains; I suspect these are functional, as well as aesthetic, to help aerate the water.
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| Government House grounds |
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| Waterfall, part of a circulating system in a pond at Beacon Hill Park |
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| One of many ponds with fountains at Beacon Hill Park |
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| Another pond, Beacon Hill Park |
After the public fountains of Beacon Hill Park, I will finish my brief overview of fountains with another favorite. Again, this is located on private property, in this case, the Royal Quai Condominiums on the Songhees Westsong Walkway. This sculpture and fountain were unveiled in 1990. As with "Shaker", the CRD public art website indicates that this was a "rezoning amenity".
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| Victoria Pacifica, by sculptor John Barney Weaver (no relation). I enjoy the flowing motion of this sculpture, at the same that the artist has created a circular unity to the piece. |
I could not leave this brief tour of some of Victoria's fountains without including the image of the terra cotta "Frozen Fountain". This section of brickwork, with the inlaid terra cotta art, was salvaged from the former Kresge's Department store which was built in 1931 in an "art deco" style. The building was demolished in 1989 when the Victoria Eaton Centre (now the Bay Centre) was constructed.
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| "Frozen Fountain", terra cotta art salvaged from the former Kresge's Department store, built in 1931. This can be found on Pandora Street, near MEC and Market Square. |
I am sure there are many more fountains to discover further afield from downtown Victoria. Perhaps a future post will take another look at them.