Mechanics Monument

The monument following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
The monument in 2014

The Mechanics Monument, also known as The Mechanics, Mechanics Statue, or Mechanics Fountain since it featured a pool of water at the base during the first five years, is a bronze sculpture group by Douglas Tilden, located at the intersection of Market, Bush and Battery Streets in San Francisco, California, United States.[1][2][3]

Tilden, was commissioned to create three major art works for a Market Street beautification project at the turn of the 20th century: the Admission Day Monument (Market and Montgomery Streets), California Volunteers (Market and Dolores Streets, but originally standing at Market and Van Ness Avenue), and this monument and fountain. It was originally to be called the Donahue Memorial Fountain for the bequest of $25,000 from businessman James Mervyn Donahue, the son of the late Peter Donahue, who had built his business, The Union Ironworks, into what would be the first foundry on the Pacific Coast of the United States. For Tilden, this monument, would be his most ambitious. It was dedicated on May 15, 1901. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the fountain on May 13, 1903 and spoke to a large crowd using the monument as a backdrop. His speech was entitled "Expansion and Trade Development and Protection of the Countries Newly Acquired Possessions."[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kaprielian, Ulla. "Douglas Tilden". Guidelines. San Francisco City Guides. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  2. ↑ Jones, Noa. "Douglas Tilden: Monument Sculptor". FoundSF. Shaping San Francisco. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Hidden Treasures". Market Street Association. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  4. ↑ Anderson, R. Christian. "Nude, Muscled and Hard Working: The History of the Mechanics Monument". Reprint of May 24, 2001 article (with permission of the publisher). Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved March 21, 2015.

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