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Wed. June 6, 2007, 07:03am PDT
Tacoma's Favorite Fountains
Aside from that big, salty water feature that wraps around much of this area there are numerous human-made gems around town to be recognized. Fountains breathe life amidst concrete canyons. On hot days, they can give reprieve with a dip from our toes. Coins often find rest at their bottom. Sometimes even their rushing burble can mask the sounds of our urban day-to-day.
Tacoma has many fountains and I'm sure, as with anything subjective, we all have our favorites. Mine is a simple one that is charming as it is abused. Where 12th meets Pacific Ave. downtown there's a simple cement barrier that holds a fountain of twelve or so bubbling shoots of water. I find it charming because of it's somewhat utilitarian location and use as a barrier at the end of a street and also because there's no decent vantage point from which to enjoy it unless waiting at a nearby crosswalk. It's abused because it seems to be the target of sudsing at least a few times a year. The poor thing sometimes spills over with detergent bubbles when we drive by in the morning and, worse than that, I imagine some City or BIA crew has to come clean it up.
Drop your favs in the comments below or to me via email (photos welcome, too!) and I'll add 'em to a map of local fountains. Hmm... Do I smell the next Photo Gang outing?
Comments (12) | To Top
6/6/2007 @ 8:09am
There's the fountain at the Wells Fargo building, below street level. It has the positive/negative thing, with the water flowing down into a well.
There's a picture here:
http://www.tacomamama.com/article.php?story=20070503100813328
The kids also love the fountain between the transit center on Commerce and the park where the Farmer's market is held on Broadway.
by jenyum
6/6/2007 @ 8:17am
I thought there was on at Wells Fargo, thanks. I'll add it to the map! I'll also add the little one outside the Convention Center. That one's fun because it's flush with the sidewalk.
by KevinFreitas
6/6/2007 @ 8:36am
Well done posting Kevin. Great having a link to a map with photos. Sounds like a tfg moment to me.
by Sharon Styer
6/6/2007 @ 10:30am
I would love to have a fountain in the middle of the UWT campus. Drumheller Fountain on the Seattle campus is iconic, with it's framing of the campus from the south and Mt. Rainier from the north. I believe there was talk of a fountain once, where there is now just a roundabout by the Dougan building, but it was cost prohibitive. I would like to see one at the crest of the hill.
by Droid16
6/6/2007 @ 10:54am
My favorite is the fountain in the pocket park located between 9th and 11th and on the west side of Fawcett. I imagine quite a few people from the nearby County complex take their lunches there in the shade. (Note: this one's not on the map.)
by Andre
6/6/2007 @ 12:59pm
Droid: I was going to post a question whether or not there was one tucked away somewhere at UWT. Guess you answered it. Seems overdue to me.
Andre: I think I know the one you're talking about. Kind of in a shady (physically speaking) spot near an office building, right? I noticed that one a couple weeks ago. I'll add it to the map, thanks!
by KevinFreitas
6/6/2007 @ 1:08pm
Heck, tell me where you'd *like* to see a fountain and I'll put down markers in a different color.
by KevinFreitas
6/6/2007 @ 2:25pm
Yeah, it's right down the street from the fire station, across from the big retirement home. You'd never know it was there unless you've traversed the area by foot.
by Andre
6/6/2007 @ 4:29pm
Tolefson could use a fountain. It has an almost invisible "water feature". A big spasher of a fountain! Nice to cool off nearby on a hot summer day...........
by Claudia
6/6/2007 @ 9:30pm
What about the one in front of the MOG?
by Annie J
6/6/2007 @ 10:25pm
Annie -- very true. Does it actually run downhill at any point? Still counts especially since the one in the Plaza does. I guess, like Claudia says, those would probably go in a "water feature" category. On the map it goes!
by KevinFreitas
6/8/2007 @ 1:34pm
I like the series of fountains in front of the Pierce Transit Center at 10th & Commerce. When that one gets soaped (last time I saw that, they'd added red food coloring as well, woot!) it's an amazing spectacle.
by TheDamnMushroom