Bunny Fountain, (sculpture).

Bunny Fountain, (sculpture).

J.L. Mott Iron Works, founder.

Bunny Fountain, (sculpture).

Nichols Bunny Fountain, (sculpture).

Peet Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Original fountain: 1895. Dedicated June 24, 1895. Relocated and redesigned 1930/31. Relocated 1970/72. Redesigned and rededicated 1995.

Digital Reference:

Fountain: cast iron and concrete, painted; Bunny and mushrooms: metal; Foundation: concrete.

Fountain: H. 6 ft. x Diam. 5 ft. 8 in.

(On lower side of fountain, raised:) DESIGNED & BUILT BY/THE J.L. MOTT IRON WORKS/NEW YORK (On bronze plaque on side of fountain, raised:) A/TRIBUTE TO/L.D. CHRISTIE (On plaque on other side of fountain, raised:) A TRIBUTE/TO THE MEMORY/OF/JOHN B. PEET Founder's mark appears.

Originally, an octagonally-shaped fountain, decorated at the midsection with a raised cartouche panel and a small lion's head and topped with a basin. Bunnies, mushrooms, and cattails were later additions. The fountain stands on a concrete pad.

Landscape -- Plant -- Mushroom

Landscape -- Plant -- Cattail

Animal -- Rabbit

Outdoor Sculpture -- Connecticut -- Trumbull

Administered by Town of Trumbull, Nichols Improvement Association, 1773 Huntington Turnpike, Trumbull, Connecticut 06611

Located Northwest corner of intersection of 1773 Huntington Turnpike & Unity Road, Trumbull, Connecticut

Designed and built by J. L. Mott Iron Works, the fountain was given to the community by John B. Peet and was erected as a water basin for horses with two lower gadrooned basins on the sides for smaller animals. The original fountain basin was made of iron. The Nichols Village Improvement Society (1889/98) accepted the basin, located on the southern tip of the village green. In the early 30's, horse traffic had decreased to the point where the basin water became stagnant and the fountain deteriorated. A Peet family friend and member of the Nichols Improvement Association, Lewis D. Christie (Christy) agreed to restore the fountain. He worked to move the fountain across the street to a traffic island in Unity Road, at Huntington Tpk.. He took off the original water troughs, inverted the cement dome, made a new cement mushroom to allow cascading water to fall over three cement bunnies that he had purchased from a local merchant, and he added metal cattails. The "new" Bunny Fountain was then rededicated.

Between 1950 and 1990, the fountain continued to deteriorate and the cement mushroom was replaced with a metal unit; the cement bunnies replaced by plastic bunnies. In 1970, as part of a larger relandscaping project, the fountain was moved again - this time a few feet north to its present location. By 1990, the fountain had stopped working altogether. In 1993, the Nichols Improvement Association voted to restore the fountain and selected Steven C. Rosenberg (Hammersmith) to complete the work. Rosenberg made a new steel basin (based on the original) and added new metal mushrooms, bunnies and cattails to the original 1895 cast iron base. IAS files contain a photocopy of the National Register nomination form, which includes photocopies of historic photographs of the fountain in various stages. The new restored fountain was dedicated on July 22, 1995. IAS files contain a partial transcript of remarks made at the 1995 rededication ceremony.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Connecticut survey, 1994.

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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