PIONEER COURTHOUSE SQUARE FOUNTAIN
SW Broadway Avenue & Yamhill Street

In 1849, Elijah Hill bought this block of downtown Portland for $24 and a pair of boots. The site of Portland's first schoolhouse, Pioneer Courthouse Square is now the most visited attraction in Portland. The fountain, which features imported tile, is a major part of Portland's "living room." Look for designer Will Martin's bronze hat at the top of the fountain.

ANIMALS IN POOLS FOUNTAINS
SW Yamhill & Morrison St between 5th & 6th Avenues

Eleven "pools" feature sculptures of animals native to Oregon. Sea lions, beavers, bears, river otters, ducks and deer line Morrison and Yamhill streets. Sculptor Georgia Gerber wanted to offer "a sense of the wild in the midst of a busy city." In 1991, one of the beloved bear cubs was stolen, but public outcry led to an anonymous tip that the cub was hiding in the bushes in neighboring Washington County.

SHEMANSKI FOUNTAIN (REBECCA AT THE WELL)
Park Blocks between SW Salmon & Main Streets

Joseph Shemanski, the fountain's namesake, was a Polish immigrant who began his career selling clocks on an installment plan; he eventually owned 34 Pacific Coast stores of the Eastern Outfitting Company. Shemanski commissioned this fountain as a gesture of appreciation for the people of Portland who had so warmly welcomed him. His compassion for animals inspired the three pet-level drinking fountains. There are also three human-level fountains. Two years after the initial fountain was erected, Shemanski commissioned the sculpture of Rebecca at the Well, which reflects the biblical tale of Abraham's discovery of a bride for Isaac when he saw Rebecca drawing water for camels. Abraham chose Rebecca for Issac because of her kindness and service.

CHIMNEY FOUNTAIN
North of SW Lincoln Street between 3rd & 4th Avenues

The southernmost of downtown fountains, this small structure was erected as part of the South Auditorium Project, the Portland Development Commission's first urban renewal project. The Chimney Fountain gives the illusion that water is flowing between the bricks, as smoke might seep through a chimney.

LOVEJOY FOUNTAIN
SW 3rd Avenue between Lincoln & Harrison Streets

In an 1843 contest with Francis Pettygrove, Asa Lovejoy, this fountain's namesake, lost two out of three coin tosses and thus the right to name our city after his hometown of Boston. Lovejoy and Pettygrove flipped the coin a second time to determine which of two neighboring parks would be named Lovejoy and which would be named Pettygrove. This beautiful fountain was built in Lovejoy's park and took on his name.

DREAMER FOUNTAIN
SW 3rd Avenue between Market & Harrison Streets

Located in Pettygrove Park, Manuel Izquierdo's design of a reclining woman is made from surplus navy bronze that he bought and cleaned. Izquierdo said, " The Dreamer speaks of hope, of beauty and serenity, of love, and for a better life in our midst." Izquierdo filled the sculpture with foam so that falling rain would make a gentle sound like a kettledrum instead of ringing hollow. Izquierdo is professor emeritus at the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

IRA KELLER FORECOURT FOUNTAIN
SW 3rd & 4th Avenues between Market & Clay Streets

Designed to mimic the majestic waterfalls of Oregon's Cascade Mountains, the Ira Keller Fountain is truly one of Portland's best known landmarks. Formerly named, simply, Forecourt Fountain, it was renamed in 1978 in honor of the first chairman of the Portland Development Commission, Ira Keller, who had a major influence on the rehabilitation of the area. Residents and visitors alike flock to this series of waterfalls and pools which occupy nearly a full acre in downtown Portland's busiest business district. New York Times critic Ada Louise Huxtable declared this "one of the most important urban spaces since the Renaissance."

ELK FOUNTAIN
SW Main Street between 3rd & 4th Avenues

Inspired by the Skidmore Fountain, former mayor David Thompson, president of the Oregon Humane Society, donated the money for this fountain as a trough for horses and dogs, and as a reminder of the elk that once lived in the West Hills and used the neighborhood as a feeding ground. Shortly after the statue was erected, a local artist offered to wire the antlers with electric light bulbs for $30. The offer was declined.

SALMON STREET SPRINGS FOUNTAIN
SW Salmon Street at Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park

The Salmon Street Springs Fountain is one of Portland's most iconic fountains, majestically spouting water in an array of designs and speeds.  A computer changes the pattern of the water display every 20 minutes. At full capacity the fountain recycles 4,924 gallons of water per minute through as many as 137 jets at one time. Taking its name from the winner of a city-wide naming contest, the fountain has become one of Portland's most popular summer hangouts. Interestingly, the fountains three cycles are named Misters, Bollards and Wedding Cake.

SKIDMORE FOUNTAIN
SW 1st Avenue between W. Burnside & Ankeny Streets

This fountain, Portland's oldest commissioned public art, stands at what was once the city center. Druggist Stephen Skidmore left $5,000 in his will so that horses, men, and dogs" could have a cold drink. The fountain was sculpted by Olin Warner who modeled the face of his wife on one of the two caryatids. New York critics lamented that the sculpture was in Portland and that it looked down "upon buggies and buck-boards, and shirt-sleeves and slouch hats in Oregon instead of decorating the Central Park." Skidmore Fountain is inscribed with the quote, "Good citizens are the riches of a city," a line from the dedicatory speech by C.E.S. Wood, an attorney and member of the Fountain Committee. For the dedication, brewer Henry Weinhard offered to pipe beer through the fountain, but the chairman of the Fountain Committee declined. For nearly two decades, people drank water from tin cups that hung from the lion's heads on the fountain.

CARWASH FOUNTAIN
SW 5th Avenue & Ankeny Street

This uniquely shaped fountain never washed cars, but the name seems appropriate given its similarity to a car wash. As a precaution for passing pedestrians, a wind gauge shuts off the pumps if the wind speed exceeds 2 miles per hour.

LEE KELLY'S FOUNTAIN
SW 6th Avenue & Pine Street

Oregon artist Lee Kelly won an international competition to design this sculpture. Kelly has designed several other sculptures in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest. In this work, water flows over several 20-foot-tall steel structures. In conjunction with the Regional Arts & Culture Council, the Water Bureau helped to restore Kelly's fountain in 2004. The fountain had become run-down over the years.