Portland's "Benson Bubblers"

My Water Post For Today.

This fountain was at the entrance to Portland's Union Station and when I passed it by, I couldn't resist a photo. Why does this fountain constantly flow, I asked myself. So I took a photo and figured I would do some research. HERE are my findings.

"Perhaps the best known fountains are the city's legendary "Benson Bubblers," the beloved and elegant bronze bowls that provide fresh drinking water throughout downtown. They became such a symbol of the town's openness and hospitality that they are now featured as the logo for the Bureau.

Lumber magnate and early Portland legend Simon Benson, eager to provide his employees something cold to drink along the then logging roads of Portland, paid for the original 20 fountains, which he decreed should flow uninterrupted 24 hours a day. A. E. Doyle, designer of the Central Library and Benson Hotel buildings, was the mastermind behind the equally graceful four-bowl drinking sources.
As a teetotaler himself, he proudly touted the fact that saloon sales dropped 40% soon after their installation. The upsurge in the temperance movement is a more likely cause, but that does not detract from the magnate's generosity or the beauty and function of its product.
By 1917, the city had doubled their number, and now the Bureau maintains over 120 public drinking fountains, including many with a single fountain head and bowl. The rare 3-bowl variation is named after Nellie Robinson, the benefactor who, like Benson, left her gift to the city.

The city's conservation efforts, however, have adapted and restricted the water flow while preserving the aesthetics of Benson and Robinson's gifts." (Bold lettering is mine.)
I was glad to hear this and as a matter of fact, I also read that they only run til 11pm, in another water saving action.

Pretty cool though and yes, the sound of the flowing water definitely was welcome...well, minus the fact that it was raining both times I saw it. :-)

I hope you enjoy.