Lancaster Fountain, (sculpture).

Lancaster Fountain, (sculpture).

J. W. Fiske Iron Works, founder.

Karkadoulias Bronze Art, founder.

Lancaster Fountain, (sculpture).

Lady Lisa Fountain, (sculpture).

City Fountain, (sculpture).

Commissioned ca. 1888. Dedicated July 17, 1890. Rededicated May 25, 1988.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: painted zinc; Base: concrete.

Sculpture: approx. H. 24 ft.; Base: approx. H. 2 1/2 ft.; Basin: approx. Diam. 30 ft. (450 lbs.).

(On rim of lower basin:) J. W. FISKE CO., NY Founder's mark appears.

Ornate fountain featuring multiple basins and mythical figures stands in low fountain basin. Four cherubs ride dolphins on the base. Each holds seashells in one hand. These cherubs sit around a fluted column which supports a round basin. Three cherubs and a stork stand around a foliated column which supports another basin. A female figure of a water nymph, who represents Peace, stands in the center. She is in Classical dress, and is pouring from a water jug held in her proper left arm. The founatin basin is decorated with minnows.

Mythology -- Classical -- Nymph

Religion -- Angel

Animal -- Dolphin

Allegory -- Quality -- Harmony

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Lancaster

Administered by City of Lancaster, Department of Parks & Recreation, City Hall, Lancaster, Ohio 43130

Located Zane Square, Lancaster, Ohio

Commissioned about 1888 by the Ladies Fountain Committee to fill a space in the town square vacated by a razed market building. The cost was $3,215; $2,015 was raised by the Committee, and the City of Lancaster paid the balance. The fountain is a replica of one located in France, though sources differ as to whether the French city is Etain or Nantes. A copy of the dedication program gives the dedication date as July 17, 1890, and articles from the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette list dedication date as July 23, 1890. It was painted white in the 1920s or 1930s and repainted light colors until 1975, when it was painted with a copper-bronze paint, to simulate the natural look of an aging bronze piece. Minnows were added to the fountain basin after the dedication. The cherubs on dolphins originally held tridents, but since children climb on the fountain, the tridents were removed for safety reasons. The fountain was decorated every Christmas with lights draped around the sculpture and over ice blocks placed in the pool.

In 1986, restoration began on the fountain. The work was done by Karkadoulias Bronze Art and it consisted of virtually taking the fountain apart, recasting the pieces and reassembling it. A new water recirculation system and four footlights were installed by Lancaster architect R. E. Crook. When the fountain was rededicated on May 25, 1988, the Mayor of Lancaster, Don Maddux, named it the "Lady Lisa Fountain" after Lisa Dill, head of the Fountain Square Restoration Committee which raised nearly $60,000 for the sculpture's refurbishment. IAS files include related articles from the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, July 19, 1973, July 23, 1973, July 26, 1975, Oct. 31, 1975, Aug. 6, 1986 and May 26, 1988, and an excerpt from "Fairfield County Treasures," vol. 1, by Lisa Dill (1988). IAS files also include a citation to "Heritage of Architecture and the Arts-Fairfield County, Ohio," by Ruth Wolfley Drinkle, a copy of the original dedication program and specifications for the fountain's recirculating water system from architect R. E. Crook.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio, Columbus survey, 1993.

Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, Aug. 6, 1986, pg. 2.

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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