TOUR DU JOUR : A Flock of Fountains
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Hottest
L.A. Prime Matter, 1990
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Feb. 25, 1996 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday February 25, 1996 Home Edition Los Angeles Times Magazine Page 12 Times Magazine Desk 1 inches; 34 words Type of Material: Correction
In “Flock of Fountains” (by Bill Stern, So SoCal, Jan. 21), the location of Eric Orr’s L.A. Prime Matter sculpture, was misidentified as being on the cornor of Figueroa and 7th streets. It is at the corner of Figueroa Street and Wilshire Boulevard.
Northwest corner of 7th and Figueroa streets
Designed by Eric Orr
Every 15 minutes, gas flames fringe thin sheets of water that flow down the corrugated bronze surfaces of two 32-foot triangular columns. This water sculpture also features a beam of xenon light that shoots up about one mile.
Highest
MacArthur Park sky cascade, 1993
Middle of MacArthur Park Lake
Designed by Bruce Ptolemy
A column of water rises from a man-made lake and shoots higher, about 125 feet, than any fountain in Southern California.
Most Musical
Hollywood Bowl Fountain, 1940
At the entrance to the Hollywood Bowl on Highland Avenue
Sculpture by George Stanley
This streamline moderne fountain includes a severely stylized 15-foot sphinx-ish figure of the Muse of Music, a Leger-like cubist rendering of Comedy and Tragedy and a lithesome Brancusi-esque interpretation of the Muse of Dance. A trippy trio. Neon illumination was added in 1994.
Most Innovative
Electric Fountain, 1930
Northeast corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards, Beverly Hills
Designed by Ralph Flewelling
The first fountain ever to have underwater lighting. An Indian maiden kneels atop a column, which stands on a base whose bas-relief (designed by Merrel Gage) depicts the early history of California. Around the fountain are pictorial tiles in Mission Revival terra cotta and teal, showing scenes of California including, incongruously, an Indian family with a Scottish terrier. The lights in the Electric Fountain haven’t worked for more than a year.
Most Hydrophilic
William Mulholland Memorial Fountain, 1940
Southwest corner of Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive
Designed by Walter S. Claberg
With its central 50-foot waterspout surrounded by four circular cascades and a 90-foot-diameter reflecting pond lit by 35 submerged floodlights of various colors, the fountain honors William Mulholland, the engineer who secured the city’s future in 1913 by bringing--some would say stealing--water via aqueduct from the Owens Valley.
Most Choreographic
The Plaza Fountain, 1988
Plaza of the Music Center
Designed by WET (Water Entertainment Technology)
Its 160 spouts of water rise and fall from the plaza floor with the impeccable synchronization of a corps de ballet. Each full “performance” lasts 12 minutes.
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