“A beacon of light drew me in” someone once said describing the Capitol Hill Fountain. Locals often call it the Bartholdi Fountain. It’s named after its creator Fréderic Auguste Bartholdi.
Bartholdi is also known for his work on the Statue of Liberty. The Capitol Hill Fountain stands at the base of Capitol Hill. Many visitors miss this wonderful sight. The fountain was cast in Paris. Then it was shipped to Philadelphia. It was displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exposition.
The fountain was a symbol of the modern world. It combined iron, gas light, and water. Bartholdi also showed the torch of the Statue of Liberty there. It helped to raise funds for the statue’s pedestal. America became a key market for Bartholdi. He created a statue of the Marquis de Lafayette in New York. He also made one of Lafayette and George Washington in Paris.
Bartholdi hoped to sell the fountain at the exposition. But Congress was the only buyer. He sold it to them for 6,000 dollars. In 1878, it was shipped to Washington. It was installed on the Mall in front of the Capitol. In 1932, it was moved to its current location. This is at 1st Street and Independence Ave SW. It’s part of a beautiful garden. The U.S. Botanic Garden maintains it.
When gas lamps changed to electric, the Capitol Hill Fountain became a major attraction. It was one of the first public displays of electric lights. Crowds gathered at night to see the light and water display.
The Capitol Hill Fountain is also known as the Fountain of Light and Water. It celebrated the 100th birthday of the Declaration of Independence. The Durenne foundry in France cast the fountain. They had won awards for their cast-iron fountains previously.
In 1877, after the exposition, Bartholdi couldn’t find buyers. Congress bought it for half his asking price. It was placed at the base of Capitol Hill in 1878. In 1881, there was a proposal to move it to Dupont Circle. This idea was dropped.
The Capitol Hill Fountain was removed in 1926. This allowed for the completion of the George Gordon Meade Memorial. It also allowed for landscaping around the Grant Memorial. The sculpture was placed in the United States Botanic Garden in 1932.
In 2008, the Architect of the Capitol began a complete restoration. This was the first since 1927. The restoration fixed metal deterioration. It also provided modern pumps and motors. A new water treatment system was installed. A zinc coating now preserves the original cast iron. The fountain returned to Bartholdi Park in spring 2011.
The Capitol Hill Fountain has basins supported by classical figures. The cast iron is coated with bronze. It stands 30 feet high. It weighs 30,000 pounds. It sits in a large circular marble pool. Three women stand on a triangle pedestal. This pedestal has seashells and reptiles spouting water. They support the lower vasque. Twelve lamps adorn this vasque. Three kneeling tritons support a smaller vasque above. Water cascades from a crown at the top. It flows down into the vasques and into the main basin.
Gas lamps once lit the cascade of water. Electric globes replaced these later. It became one of the first monuments in Washington, D.C. to be lit at night. The lights around the basin were added in 1886. Electric lighting replaced gas in 1915.
Consider the power of light in darkness. Visit the Capitol Hill Fountain at night. Imagine seeing it through nineteenth-century eyes. The fountain and park are little-known treasures. They are well worth a visit.