The Nathaniel Wheeler Memorial Fountain is located in
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
at the intersection of Fairfield and Park avenues. The fountain was built in 1912–1913 and was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on April 4, 1985.
[ The fountain consists of four elements: a central bronze figure of a mermaid rising out of a polished granite pool and three individually ornamented polished granite watering troughs at the angles of the triangular parcel of land raised above the street. The mermaid holds aloft a lamp in her right hand, and a baby in her left. Its tail is wrapped around two dolphins, and the faces of four babies appear in relief around the rim of the pool. The three surrounding troughs are each adorned with individualized figures.][ and .]
History
The fountain was erected in 1912–1913 as the gift of Nathaniel Wheeler
Nathaniel Wheeler (b. Watertown, Litchfield county., Connecticut, September 7, 1820; d. Bridgeport, December 31. 1893) was an American manufacturer and legislator.
The photographs of the Wheeler Mansion on this page are actually photographs of a ...
's children to the city in memory of their father. Wheeler was a principal in Wheeler & Wilson
Wheeler & Wilson was an American company which produced sewing machines. The company was started as a partnership between Allen B. Wilson and Nathaniel Wheeler after Wheeler agreed to help Wilson mass-produce a sewing machine he designed. The tw ...
, an early manufacturer of sewing machines. In addition to moving his factory to Bridgeport in 1856, Wheeler had been active in many city affairs, including plans to beautify the city.[
The fountain was a mid-career work of American sculptor ]Gutzon Borglum
John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georg ...
. This was the first of a small number of commissions given to him in Bridgeport. The baby held by the mermaid is modeled on his son Lincoln, who was reportedly baptized in the fountain.[
]
Restoration
The fountain underwent a $199,000 restoration in 2009–2010, in which vehicular damage was repaired and the flow of water was restored to the fountain among other refurbishments.
See also
*History of Bridgeport, Connecticut
The history of Bridgeport, Connecticut was, in the late 17th and most of the 18th century, one of land acquisitions from the native inhabitants, farming and fishing. From the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century, Bridgeport's history was one ...
*
References
External links
*
{{National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fountains in Connecticut
Cultural infrastructure completed in 1913
Buildings and structures in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Monuments and memorials in Connecticut
Tourist attractions in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
1913 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in Connecticut
1913 establishments in Connecticut
Sculptures by Gutzon Borglum
Sculptures of mermaids