Skidmore Fountain

This is supposed to be Portland’s oldest public art. Located in an area with lots of nice old buildings and the start of Portland Saturday Market. The fountain has a sculpture on top it was built to provide water to people and animals so has water at different levels. Now it is just nice to look at surrounded by the arches and Saturday Market.
Fun fact: on its first day Henry Winehard wanted the fountain to pump beer. His plan was to use fire hoses, but the city worried people would damage the hoses to get at the beer.

Skidmore Fountain is an archaic landmark in a city that has exponentially grown in size ever since it was built in 1888. Portland unlike now, wasn’t as populated as other destinations on the West Coast and the city at the time had lots of expanding through the next century to reach it’s current boundaries.
Now, who knows what the star landmark is? Is it Powell’s Books? Things change.
This represents a time where Oregon was just a random diversion on the trail. It represents when we might have been just another Boise, a place to move lumber through and to go out after spending a night at the motel instead of the glitter sprinkling that we would be later known for. It wouldn’t be known for James Beard, but just to stop through for chicken fried steak on a roadtrip.
Skidmore Fountain was originally going to be filled with beer, but for obvious reasons, it wasn’t.
The style of the fountain looks glorious and the large shape allows for a good water show.
Amidst a huge lot, you’ll see people sitting on the steps of it during the Saturday Market. This fountain nears the market and the waterfront park. The MAX has a station here for the Blue and Red Lines.
Lots of old walls can be seen while new ones are created in this city since there are adjacent ruins.
Skidmore Fountain still holds saturated with memories.

It’s a really cool looking fountain. Very photo worthy and definitely worth checking out if you’re doing the tourist thing. It’s a stones throw from a MAX train stop, and Voodoo Doughnuts is right up the street so stop reading this, take a picture, and go get a doughnut.

Not the most formidable fountain, but it’s located conveniently near Portland’s awesome Saturday market. I don’t have much more to say about this place, except that it’s a cool little fountain to take cute pictures by.

If your ever in the area of the Saturday Market check out this extraordinary fountain. It’s made of bronze and granite. It was created in 1888 by Olin Warner. Elegant.