| James Scott Memorial Fountain | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Cass Gilbert & Herbert Adams |
| Year | 1925 |
| Type | Marble |
| Location | Belle Isle Park Detroit, Michigan |
| Coordinates: 42°20′06″N82°59′58″W / 42.33506°N 82.99931°W | |
Belle Isle In the very early days of Detroit, Belle Isle, then known as Ile Aux Cochons or Hog Island, was used by settlers to house pigs and chickens to protect them from coyotes on the mainland. Ottawas and Ojibwa tribes were the 'owners' of the island. Belle Isle Park is to Detroit what Lincoln Park and Grant Park are to Chicago, what Central Park is to New York, what Forest Park is to St. Located on an island in the Detroit River, it is a 982-acre park that straddles the United States/Canada border. It is the largest.
The James Scott Memorial Fountain is a monument located in Belle Isle Park, in Detroit, Michigan. Designed by architect Cass Gilbert and sculptor Herbert Adams, the fountain was completed in 1925 at a cost of $500,000.[1] The lower bowl has a diameter of 510 ft (160 m) and the central spray reaches 125 ft (38 m). The fountain honors the controversial James Scott, who left $200,000 to the City of Detroit for a fountain in tribute to himself.
History[edit]
Scott was left a sizable fortune by his father who invested in Detroit real estate.[2] According to contemporaries, Scott gambled and told off-color stories. He was described by twentieth-century author W. Hawkins Ferry as a 'vindictive, scurrilousmisanthrope'[3] who attempted to intimidate his business competitors and when this was unsuccessful, he filed suit. Perhaps for these reasons, Scott died in 1910 with no heirs or colleagues and he bequeathed his estate to the City of Detroit with the condition that the fountain include a life-sized bronze statue of him.[1][2] Some accounts state that the will required that the statue be at the fountain's pinnacle.[4]
Several community and religious leaders—including Bishop Charles D. Williams[1]—spoke against accepting the bequest, saying that a person with Scott's reputation should not be immortalized in the city.[2] Mayor Philip Breitmeyer and City Council President David Heineman urged accepting the gift, saying that the city shouldn't insult any of its citizens by refusing such a generous offer.[5]
While the debate raged, Scott's fortune continued to grow, topping $1 million by the time construction commenced.[5]
Design[edit]
The monument is located in Belle Isle Park, in Detroit, Michigan. Designed by architect Cass Gilbert and sculptor Herbert Adams, the marble fountain was completed in 1925 at a cost of $500,000.[1] The lower bowl has a diameter of 510 ft (160 m) and the central spray reaches 125 ft (38 m). The final design placed Scott's statue in inconspicuous spot behind the fountain.[1]
Movie appearances[edit]
A famous scene from the 1973 drama Scarecrow, starring Gene Hackman and Al Pacino was filmed here. In the scene shortly after learning of the death of his estranged son (though falsified by the mother), Pacino's character Francis Lionel 'Lion' Delbuchi, happily plays with a group of children before, upon uncovering a deep emotional truth, he snatches one of them up and begins to ascend the fountain. He is left catatonic in a hospital following the incident.
Detroit Belle Isle Casino History Park
The fountain is also featured briefly in Anthony Mann's 1947 film noir T-Men, photographed by John Alton. Early in the film, two Treasury Agents preparing to go undercover discuss Detroit criminal gangs and gang activities while standing in front of the fountain.
Gallery[edit]
Old postcard
Detail of one of fountain's lion figures
Detail of one of the eight small pools in the lower basin
The lower basin
16 separate reliefs depict life in the early days of Detroit
The Belle Isle Casino is in the background of a dry James Scott Memorial Fountain
References[edit]
- ^ abcdeBak, Richard (1998). Detroit: A Postcard Album. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN0752413554. P. 78.
- ^ abcAustin, Dan. 'James Scott Memorial Fountain'. HistoricDetroit.org. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture, 1845-2005. Wayne State University Press. ISBN0-8143-3270-6. P. 44.
- ^'The James Scott Fountain'. detroit1701.org. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
- ^ abLochbiler, Don (November 7, 1997). 'Detroit's Fountain of Mirth'. The Detroit News. detnews.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
Further reading[edit]
- Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN0-8143-3120-3.
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