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 metalloid ...

drinking fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...

s named after businessman and philanthropist

Simon Benson Simon Benson (born Simen Bergersen Klæve, September 9, 1851 – August 5, 1942) was a Norwegian-born American businessman and philanthropist who was active in the city of Portland, Oregon. Early life Simon Benson was born Simen Bergersen Kl� ...

(1852–1942), mostly located in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, 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 memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

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 central business district 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 buildi ...

"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 The Portland Transit Mall is a public transportation, public transit corridor that travels north–south through the center of downtown Portland, Oregon, downtown in Portland, Oregon, United States. It comprises a one-way pair, pair of one-way ...

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 West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'', p. C1. According to the

Portland Water Bureau The Portland Water Bureau is the municipal water department for the city of Portland, Oregon, Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its service district includes 225 miles within the Portland metropolitan area. The bureau manages a water supply t ...

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

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

, 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 () is an area in the north-west of Glasgow in Scotland. A former independent burgh and the heart of an eponymous local authority ward, its territory is bisected by Maryhill Road, part of the A81 road which runs for a distance of ro ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, 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 freezing weather. During periods of prolonged summer

drought A drought is a period of 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, ...

, 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