Muscogee County GaArchives Photo Place.....Fountain 
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Christine Thacker CGT714@aol.com April 25, 2007, 10:54 am

Source:             Special Sesquicentennial Supplement II Ledger-Enquirer
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                            Fountains Columbus Trademark
                                 By Kaffie Sledge
                              Ledger Staff Writer

In the hexameter rises the fountain's' silvery column; 
In the pentameter aye falling melody back.
   This could easily describe Columbus' most expensive fountain. The $85,000 
work of art sits  In front of the American Family Life Assurance Co. building, 
where the father of the title, "Fountain City" Dr. G. Othell Hand Is a senior 
vice president.
  This fountain features changing fashions of water and lighting and its 
mechanisms are delicate - similar to those of a clock. Hand said the fountain 
frequently isn't working because it requires such meticulous care. "It is very 
sensitive and the slightest shift throws it out of kilter. "
  While abroad - In Rome, London and Paris, Hand said he noted how much of a 
focal point the European fountains were. "When I returned, I went before the 
council and proposed the title 'Fountain City.' " Prior to that time Columbus 
was called the Port City. In 1966, the council accepted Hand's proposal and set 
out to publicize the new concept.
  More than a century old, the trl-Ievel Man and Beast fountain has been on the 
median at 11th street and Broadway. Made of cast-iron, the decorative object 
once watered humans, horses and dogs, each on a different level.
  The old courthouse fountain, placed in front of the Goetchius House to make 
room for the Goverment Center, is thought to be the city's oldest fountain.
  Hand said the newest fountain is at 17th Street and Wildwood and although 
It's running, the landscaping won't be completed until spring.
  Columbus' largest fountain is in front of First Baptist Church, where Hand 
was formerly pastor. "It weighs 56,000 pounds and pumps 1,400 gallons of water 
per minute over a polished granite basin," Hand said, "It has an underground 
motor and must be perfectly level in order to cascade properly, and it has run 
perfectly ever since acquired - 10 years ago." This fountain Was originally 
designed  for the Rayburn House Office Building In Washington, D. C., but First 
Baptist was able to purchase it when it was determined that the granite was the 
wrong color. Its counterpart, in design, now sits in front of the Rayburn 
Building.
  One wouldn't normally expect to find a fountain in front of a service 
station, but Crown's policy, in keeping with Columbus' title, is to have a 
fountain court at each of its service stations.
  "Many people have fountains in their gardens, similar to what one might see 
in Spain," Hand said, "These are their personal property and they maintain 
them."
  Some kid that the figure atop the Sarling Park foun¬tain is looking toward 
Fort Benning for a husband for her daughter. Others say, "Nonsense, it's a 
fitting memorial to a concerned citizen." Hand said both craftsmen and material 
for this Victorian fountain were imported from Italy and the legend of the 
woman searching for a son-in-law, isn't inconsistent with the romantic nature 
of Italians.
This fountain Is at the south triangle of the intersec¬tion of Wynnton and 
Buena Vista roads. 


Special Sesquicentennial Supplement II
Ledger~Enquirer, Sunday, April 23, 1978, S-32 


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