Benson Bubblers are iconic

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

drinking fountains named after businessman and philanthropist

Simon Benson Simon Benson (September 9, 1851 – August 5, 1942) was a noted Norwegian-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his mark in the city of Portland, Oregon. Biography Background Simon Benson was born Simen Bergersen Klæve in th ...

(1852–1942), mostly located in Portland,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. In 1912, Benson donated $10,000 for the purchase and installation of 20 fountains; the designer was Portland architect A. E. Doyle. Two reasons have been suggested for his decision to donate the fountains; one was his hope that they would reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages during lunch breaks, and the other was that he felt the need after witnessing a girl crying at an

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...

parade due to her inability to find a drink of water. In the 1970s, the Benson family requested that the bubblers only be installed within specific boundaries of

Downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found ...

"so as not to diminish the uniqueness of them". Also commonly known simply as "Benson fountains", additional bubblers replicating the original style have been cast and installed over the years. Construction of the Portland Transit Mall in 1976–77 included the addition of 15 new Benson fountains.Henniger, Jean (November 4, 1977). "Wet your whistle with a tour of Portland's fountains". ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...

'', p. C1. According to the

Portland Water Bureau The Portland Water Bureau is the municipal water department for the city of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. The bureau manages a water supply that comes mainly from the Bull Run River in the foothills of the Cascade Range east of the city an ...

, 52 "true" Benson Bubblers, each of which supports four bowls, can be found throughout downtown. Two bubblers exist outside of Downtown Portland. In 1965, the City of Portland gifted one to its sister city

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, Japan. The other was installed at the

Maryhill Museum of Art Maryhill Museum of Art is a small museum with an eclectic collection, located near what is now the community of Maryhill in the U.S. state of Washington. The museum is situated on a bluff overlooking the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge. ...

near

Maryhill Maryhill ( gd, Cnoc Màiri) is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. Maryhill stretches over along Maryhill Road. The far north west of the area is served by Maryhill railway station. History Hew Hill, ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, by special request from Sam Hill, a friend to Simon Benson. Portland also features 74 single-bowl variations. Combined, the fountains normally pour out close to 100,000 gallons of drinking water per day every day of the year, except during extremely cold weather. However, on occasion, during periods of prolonged summer

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

, the Water Bureau has turned them off for a period of time, both to conserve water and to encourage citizens to conserve during such times.Lane, Dee (October 28, 1987). "'Conserve water,' Portlanders told; To ward off a crisis, the city turns off its fountains and urges residents to let lawns and gardens go dry and cars go unwashed". ''

'', p. 1.

References

External links

Benson Bubbler brochure and map
* {{Fountains in Portland, Oregon 1912 establishments in Oregon Bronze Drinking fountains in Oregon Fountains in Portland, Oregon History of Portland, Oregon

See also

References

External links