No Fountain in its Future

Armand Vaillancourt, 95, stands in the midst
of his water sculpture (Suzuki/Chronicle)

Last month all signs pointed to its demise. This week San Francisco filed the paperwork that will lead to the removal of the Vaillancourt Fountain. [bold added]

San Francisco parks officials this week requested the removal of the massive Vaillancourt Fountain from Embarcadero Plaza, the first written acknowledgement that they do not intend to include the controversial 710-ton sculpture in the plaza’s planned redesign...

The letter, a copy of which was provided to the Chronicle by park department officials, notes that it would cost an estimated $29 million to restore the broken-down fountain to working order. That sum almost equals the entire $32.5 million budget for the ambitious park makeover to combine the area formerly known as Justin Herman Plaza with Sue Bierman Park, creating a seamless 5-acre multiuse destination across from the Ferry Building.

The concrete Brutalist fountain, which has been a lightning rod for public opinion since its debut a half-century ago, sits in the middle of the planned multiuse area. A park department report estimates that it would cost $2.5 million to remove it.

Your humble blogger does like the fountain but he does not love it. I have no way of judging whether it's worth $29 million to the City to restore it, plus committing $millions to maintain it annually. I do hope its replacement--the "seamless 5-acre multiuse destination"--does not turn out to be an overhyped, underpriced monstrosity like most of the City's other projects, thereby making everyone regret that they were stampeded into destroying a unique work of art.