Lion Fountain, (sculpture).

Lion Fountain, (sculpture).

Preston, William G., architect.

Perth Amboy Manufacturing Company, fabricator.

M. T. Lewman and Company, contractor.

Lion Fountain, (sculpture).

Griffin Fountain, (sculpture).

Cotton Exchange Fountain, (sculpture).

Red Lion Fountain, (sculpture).

1889. Installed Oct. 1889. Lion sculpture destroyed Aug. 30, 2008. Lion sculpture recast 2009. Fountain rededicated Dec. 17, 2009.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: terra cotta; Base: terra cotta; Basin: brick.

Sculpture: approx. H. 5 ft. x W. 2.5 ft.; Base: approx. 2 x 2.5 x 5 ft.

A large fountain featuring a terra cotta sculpture of a winged lion seated on a short, rectangular base at the north side of a circular basin. Water spouts from the lion's mouth and falls into the circular basin. The fountain is surrounded by plantings and is enclosed by an ornate wrought iron fence.

Fantasy -- Animal -- Lion

Fantasy -- Winged Being

Outdoor Sculpture -- Georgia -- Savannah

Administered by City of Savannah, Park & Tree Department, P. O. Box 1027, Savannah, Georgia 31402

Located Savannah Cotton Exchange, Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia

The lion sculpture was purchased for $173.00 from the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company and was funded by contributions from members of the Savannah Cotton Exchange. M. T. Lewman and Company of Louisville, Kentucky was responsible for the installation of the fountain and landscaping in Menelas Park, a small park in front of the Cotton Exchange building. The park was named for Constantine Menelas, who was a cotton broker from 1883-1894, and who also served as the Exchange Director from 1888-1889 and Chairman of the Cotton Classing Committee. In 1949, the sculpture was painted with aluminum paint, which was later removed. The Van Der Staak Group did the restoration work on the fountain in late 1987-1988. IAS files contain an article from the Savannah Evening Press, Sept. 14, 1949; an excerpt from Chan Sieg's "The Squares: An Introduction to Savannah," Norfolk, VA: The Donning Company. For a related reading see the Savannah Morning News, Oct. 15, 1889; and a report for the Savannah Park and Tree Department entitled "The Monuments and Fountains of Savannah" by Dorothy H. Stewart, June 1993.

On August 30, 2008, the lion sculpture was largely demolished when the fountain was hit by a car. On Jan. 28, 2009, the Savannah City Council approved the reconstruction of the fountain and lion sculpture. A conservator rebuilt the original shattered lion by cementing together hundreds of surviving pieces (including 56 major pieces, wing and tail sections). Gaps were filled with fabricated pieces using archival photographs. A mold was then made and the reconstructed lion sculpture was recast in terra cotta. The molds and the reconstructed original lion sculpture were given to the City of Savannah, and are now in the possession of the Savannah Park and Tree Department. The new cast of the lion sculpture was installed in Dec. 2009 and a rededication ceremony was held on Dec. 17, 2009. Research during the reconstruction of the lion sculpture did not find any written documentation that William Gibbons Preston designed the Lion Fountain. IAS files contain reports, press releases, and articles from the Savannah Morning News detailing the car accident, damage, and restoration of the fountain sculpture.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Georgia survey, 1993.

Research Library and Municipal Archives, City of Savannah, Georgia, 2009.

Sieg, Chan, "The Squares: An Introduction to Savannah," Norfolk, VA: The Donning Company.

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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