| Pulitzer Fountain | |
|---|---|
_-_2.JPG) The fountain and statue in 2014 | |
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| Artist |
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| Year | 1916 (1916) |
| Type |
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| Medium |
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| Subject | Pomona |
| Dimensions | 6.7 m (22 ft) |
| Location | New York City, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°45′51″N73°58′25″W / 40.76403°N 73.97361°W /40.76403; -73.97361 |
Pulitzer Fountain is an outdoor fountain located atGrand Army Plaza inManhattan, New York. The fountain is named after newspaper publisherJoseph Pulitzer who died in 1911 having bequeathed $50,000 for the creation of the fountain. Pulitzer intended his fountain to be "like those in thePlace de la Concorde, Paris, France."[1] The fountain was designed by the architectThomas Hastings, and crowned by a statue conceived by the sculptorKarl Bitter.[2] The fountain was dedicated in May 1916.
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In December 1912, the executors of the estate of Joseph Pulitzer announced that New York City had approved the fountain's proposed location, in the plaza between 58th Street and 60th Street, just west of Fifth Avenue, the same plaza where the equestrianSherman Monument stood since 1903. The executors invited five architecture firms to participate in a competition to determine the fountain's design, and to provide designs for a "good architectural treatment of the whole plaza."[3]
In January 1913, the five schemes were exhibited at theNew York Public Library, including the winning scheme, designed byCarrère and Hastings. Architect Thomas Hastings' design placed the fountain in the southern half of the plaza, whereas theSherman Monument remained in the northern half (but moved fifteen feet west to be symmetrically opposite the fountain). Hastings' design for the fountain included a "symbolical figure-the exact symbolism not yet having been decided upon."[4] Construction began in 1915, and by November, a newspaper reported: "The Pulitzer Fountain...is now finished and bubbling with the purest Croton water," noting that work on the northern portion of the plaza was delayed by subway construction.[5]
In the executed design,Karl Bitter's allegoricalbronze statuePomona depicts thegoddess of abundance holding a basket of fruit. The model wasDoris Doscher. Because Bitter died on April 9, 1915, having just completed the plaster cast of the figure,[6] Hastings and Bitter's widow selectedIsidore Konti to complete the statue.[7] Konti began work in the fall of 1915, and the statue was cast in April 1916.[7] The statue was installed on (or about) May 1, 1916, "with little or no ceremony."[8]
In 1933, Herbert, Joseph and Ralph, sons ofJoseph Pulitzer, donated $35,000 for the restoration of the fountain, to be done under the supervision of architectDan Everett Waid. The work, delayed by labor troubles, was completed by June 1935.[9] As part of the work, the limestone basin was rebuilt in Italian marble, and the limestone balustrade and columns that surrounded the fountain were demolished.[10]
In 1971, the Parks Department under the direction ofAugust Heckscher, undertook a restoration of the fountain costing $268,000. The work included a new sewer system and the replacement of limestone steps with granite.[11]
On May 30, 1974, theLandmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing to consider designation of theGrand Army Plaza, including the Pulitzer Fountain, as aNew York City scenic landmark. The measure was approved on July 23, 1974.[12]
On March 26, 1985, theCentral Park Conservancy and the architecture firm ofButtrick White & Burtis presented plans to theLandmarks Preservation Commission for a full restoration of the plaza, including the Pulitzer Fountain. The plans called for the restoration of the balustrade and columns removed in the 1935 repairs.[13] The work was completed in June 1990, including a reconstruction of the fountain, this time in granite. Plans to restore the balustrade and columns were abandoned on account of costs. According toThe New York Times: "For years this fountain merely dripped and dribbled, but now it cascades, and that makes all the difference, for now the Pulitzer Fountain has a sound."[14]
Most of the cost of the 1990 renovation was paid for by the Grand Army Plaza/Pulitzer Fountain partnership, a not-for-profit fund created by adjacent businesses and property owners. The fund made news in 2016 with the revelation that Donald Trump's charitable foundation had donated $264,000, its largest bequest ever, to the 1990 renovation. The bequest raised some eyebrows because the work indirectly benefited Trump's Plaza Hotel which stood across the street from the fountain.[15]
In 2024, the second phase of the restoration project began. It is set to complete the comprehensive restoration of the south side by replacing the single row of Callery pear trees with a double row of the London plane trees, repairing and replacing deteriorating pavements consistent with the original plaza design and update the mechanical systems of the Pulitzer Fountain.[16]
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Media related toPulitzer Fountain at Wikimedia Commons| Sculpture |
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