Benson Bubblers are iconic bronze

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 (1852–1942), mostly located in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

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

, United States. In 1912, Benson donated $10,000 for the purchase and installation of 20 fountains; the designer was Portland architect

A. E. Doyle Albert Ernest Doyle (July 27, 1877 – January 23, 1928) was a prolific architect in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. He is most often credited for his works as A.E. Doyle. He opened his own architectural practice in 1907. From ...

. 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. Man ...

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 ci ...

, Japan. The other was installed at the Maryhill Museum of Art 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, 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