It may not be featured on as many mugs or key chains or t-shirts as its more lofty sibling (or in as many Grey’s Anatomy helicopter-establishing shots), but I’d argue that this revamped Modernist classic rivals the Space Needle as the go-to Seattle experience.
A little history: The fountain was originally designed for the 1962 World’s Fair by Japanese architects Hideki Shimizu and Kazuyuki Matsushita. (The contemporaneous Space Needle, designed by Victor Steinbrueck, hogged most of the attention.) Decades later the fountain fell into disrepair and was revamped by landscape designers Kenichi Nakano and the fountain company WET Design (of Fountains of Bellagio fame).
Then and Now:
The 1962 design had a spiky, amoebic charm. But the 1995 stainless-steel version, as well as having improved choreography, opened up the bowl to visitors. And the rounder, more pleasing shape recalls an umbrella—though one apparently at cross purposes with itself in that it generates its own rain. And fog.
How would I categorize this one? A hybrid of modern statuary and pool-free—and seeing as how the water display is preprogrammed, with a dash of robot or animated fountain tossed in.
It is really a delight to take a seat on the edge and people-watch forever. And when the sun is out, fountain rainbows are common. In recent times, some friendly benches have cropped up around the perimeter, courtesy the Seattle Rep. A couple of the better ones:
No comments:
Post a Comment