Interactive Public Fountains
6 reasons why we need more
Riding my bike to Lancaster Central County Park takes me through the heart of our city. On the way back if I’m hot and sweaty I make it a point to ride into Binn’s Park where I am greeted by a whimsical water fixture shooting cool water jets out of the sidewalk.
I either ride through it or stop to cool off, always the only adult in the mix.
Below is a blog I wrote for FIG Magazine in 2012. Since that time
Mayor Charlie Smithgall (my neighbor) passed away.
The urban “bunker” I mention below has been transformed into a living, mixed-use block for our new library, restaurants, offices, and condos: Ewell Plaza.
COVID shut the magical fountain down. Then it opened for season, though it was in need of repair.
I spent a delightful afternoon with my grandgirl Sasha in June of 2022 hopping over the water arcs, carrying her like an airplane under the sprays, and both of us lying out on colorful towels in the sun.
I despaired to see it go dormant soon after. But in 2023 it was restored. Yippee!
Enjoy the blog, and more importantly don’t hold back when your inner child says
Maybe I could dip my toes in that….
We Need More Fountains!
“It’s dancing,” yelped 6-year-old Libby Brubaker, excitedly watching the fountain. The happy, blond-haired kindergartner hesitated, put her right foot into one of the jets, then darted away, half afraid to jump in, half afraid not to.1
Seven years later, our beloved Binns Park fountain remains one of the best things our city offers its people and its guests.
Who isn’t at least curious about 37 sidewalk-level water jets gushing, pulsating and popping water balls into the air? Only those who aren’t willing to take a moment to become a child, I suppose.
This legacy gift of the late James Binns, former Armstrong World Industries president, and his late wife, Ruamie Binns was dedicated on 8/26/05 and has become the centerpiece of lovely Binns Park.
Compare Binns’ oasis to the Cold-War bunker across Queen Street, and you’ll see that “urban renewal” can either uplift humanity or suck it down to Hades.
Charlie Smithgall, our Mayor at the time said, "The (Binns) family wanted a place of respite for the citizens of Lancaster, and that's what we're getting."2
Indeed. IMHO, there are at least six ways the fountain enhances our lives:
It’s Refreshing: I never miss a chance to ride my bike or drag my toes through the fountain on a hot day. It’s like swimming in a geyser (a cool one!) or bounding about in a reverse shower.
It’s Interactive: Unlike most decorative fountains that forbid human immersion, this thing beckons me. I love to watch the kids dance with the random expulsions of liquid crystal. A similar ruckus happens at Crown Fountain in in Chicago on a bigger scale.
It’s Beautiful. Run by a bygone computer program used to create musical compositions, the effect is nothing less than mesmerizing.
It’s Unpredictable. I love the deviousness of the water jets. Because they are synced to inaudible music, I never know when my feet, hands or crotch are about to become deluged. That’s good clean in fun in public!
It’s Accessible. Rich, poor, employed or searching, no one is barred from fully enjoying any aspect of this work of public art.
It’s Symbolic. From ancient times, fountains refreshed the souls of wayfarers longing for drink. Consider the Fountain of Youth and the promise of “living water welling up to eternal life.” Water is most basic, a reminder of where we come from and what we need most.
The leading philosopher on how cities actually function has got to be Jane Jacobs (1916-2006). She said,
The more successfully a city mingles everyday diversity of use and users in its everyday streets, the more successfully, casually (and economically) its people thereby enliven and support well-located parks that can thus give back grace and delight to their neighborhoods instead of vacuity.3
In 2001 in Zurich, artists painted 1000 benches for their downtown, and they became backdrops for photos and casual fun.4 In a similar vein, our Poetry Paths installations and Music For Everyone Pianos achieve the same kind of uplift for the soul.
Our Binns fountain is public art at its best, though it did cost $125,000 to install. Isn’t it totally worth it?
The bigger question for me is, where do I go in the winter months?
Lancaster New Era, September 16, 2005.
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/16452_-It-will-be-ready-.html - ixzz1yoY5J0nB
Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (New York: Random House, 1961), page 145.
Jay Walljasper, The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Placemaking (Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 2007), page162.