The Dr. William D. Young Memorial is a drinking fountain and

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

that was erected on the eastern border of

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada in August 1920 by residents of

the Beaches The Beaches (also known as "The Beach") is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is so named because of its four beaches situated on Lake Ontario. It is located east of downtown within the "Old" City of Toronto. The approximate boundar ...

neighbourhood.Dr. William D. Young Memorial
torontohistory.org. Retrieved 2007-08-29. The memorial was dedicated to Dr. William D. Young (1874-1918), a local

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

who, in the era before

universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

, had devoted himself to the health and welfare of children of the neighbourhood. Young died after being stricken with influenza while tending to the sick during the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

pandemic of 1918. He died almost penniless after his

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

work with local children. The Italian Renaissance-style memorial was designed by M.D. Klein, and originally contained a statue of a child by

Florence Wyle Florence Wyle (November 14, 1881 – January 14, 1968) was an American-Canadian sculptor, designer and poet; a pioneer of the Canadian art scene. She practiced chiefly in Toronto, living and working with her partner Frances Loring, with whom she ...

, later replaced by one by Frances Gage.

Ivor Lewis Ivor Rhys Lewis (1882 – November 1958) was a Canadian artist and business director. Lewis was born in Wales, but emigrated to Canada as a small boy. He trained as an artist at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Ontario School of Art, a ...

designed the medallions of Dr. Young. The words "Service Was His Aim" are inscribed at the top of the memorial. The City of Toronto designated the memorial under the ''

Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage ...

'' in 1977. The designation by-law states:

''The William D. Young Memorial Drinking Fountain, Kew Gardens, 1920 (Architect and Designer Morris D, Klein) is designated on architectural and historic grounds.'' ''The elegantly designed fountain in the Italian Renaissance style displays the finest of craftmanship in stone and bronze. Erected in 1920 through public subscription, the Memorial Drinking Fountain symbolizes the philanthropic service of a distinguished doctor in the Beaches district at the turn of the Century.''City of Toronto By-law No. 12-77. Passed January 17, 1977.

References

{{Commons category Fountains in Canada Health in Canada Monuments and memorials in Toronto 1920 sculptures Renaissance Revival architecture in Canada City of Toronto Heritage Properties