Johnson Memorial Fountain and Gate, (sculpture).

Johnson Memorial Fountain and Gate, (sculpture).

Lowell, Guy, 1870-1927, sculptor.

Norcross Brothers, contractor.

Hale Iron Works, foundry.

Johnson Memorial Fountain and Gate, (sculpture).

Johnson Gates, (sculpture).

1902. Dedicated 1903. Rededicated Aug. 1980.

Digital Reference:

Each pier: white marble; Frieze and lion heads: bronze; Benches and balustrades: Tennessee pink marble.

2 parts. Each pier: approx. 20 x 5 x 5 ft.; Each lion head: approx. 12 x 12 in.

A/GIFT TO THE CITY OF BOSTON/BY/ELLEN CHENEY JOHNSON/IN MEMORY/OF/JESSE C. JOHNSON unsigned

This memorial consists of two large square marble piers each adorned with marble columns on the corners. On each side, the piers are adorned with bronze lion head fountain spouts. Below two of the lion heads are square marble basins. Marble balustrades and two marble benches are installed on the outer edge of each pier.

Outdoor Sculpture -- Massachusetts -- Boston

Administered by City of Boston, Boston Art Commission, Office of Cultural Affairs, Boston City Hall, Room 716, Boston, Massachusetts 02201

Located Back Bay Fens, Westland Avenue & Hemingway, Boston, Massachusetts

The inscription on a nearby plaque reads: ERECTED IN 1905 THROUGH A GIFT FROM/ELLEN C. JOHNSON IN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND/JESSE C. JOHNSON, THE JOHNSON FOUNTAIN WAS/RESTORED IN 1980 BY THE BROWNE FUND/COMMISSION: MAYOR KEVIN H. WHITE,/CHAIRMAN; CITY COUNCILOR CHRISTOPHER A./IANNELLI; CITY TREASURER LOWELL L. RICHARDS/III, ACTING UNDER THE TERMS OF THE GENEROUS/BEQUEST OF EDWARD INGERSOLL BROWNE (1822-/1901).

The inscription on another nearby plaque reads: THE JOHNSON GATES/THIS ENTRANCE TO THE FENS, ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS THE JOHNSON MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN, WAS DONATED TO THE CITY OF BOSTON AND ERECTED IN 1905/THROUGH A GENEROUS BEQUEST FROM MRS. ELLEN CHENEY JOHNSON IN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND JESSE./A GRANT FROM BOSTON'S EDWARD INGERSOLL BROWNE TRUST FUND AND/MONIES FROM THE GATES' MAINTENANCE ENDOWMENT MADE POSSIBLE A 1980/RESTORATION./THE ELLEN C. JOHNSON TRUST FUND PROVIDED FOR SUBSEQUENT RENOVATIONS/IN 1990./THE GATES ARE UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CITY OF BOSTON PARKS AND/RECREATION DEPARTMENT./ELLEN C. JOHNSON TRUST FUND/CITY OF BOSTON/RAYMOND L. FLYNN/MAYOR/LEE F. JACKSON/TRUSTEE.

The fountain, originally designed as a water trough for animals, closed in 1919 due to an epidemic among horses. In 1978, the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund Commission approved funding for restoration. However, by the time of the restoration, all of the bronze lion head fountain spouts had been removed or stolen. One was returned in response to a newspaper plea, and sculptor David Phillips replicated it for the fountain renovation. The original lion head is in the possession of the Boston Art Commission. Carol R. Johnson and Associates, Inc. oversaw the one-year restoration project which included repair to the Tennessee pink marble balustrades and benches and a thorough cleaning of the entire gate structure.

IAS files contain articles from the Boston Ledger, Aug. 15-21, 1980, pg. 14; and the Boston Globe, May 14, 1979.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Massachusetts survey, 1997.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, MA5065, 1989.

Monumental News, June 1903, pg. 368.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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