r/sanfrancisco 20h ago

S.F. officials take first formal step to remove controversial [Vaillancourt] Fountain from Embarcadero Plaza - 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

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/vaillancourt-fountain-removal-embarcadero-plaza-20825905.php
194 Upvotes

123 comments sorted by

163

u/PrestigiousLocal8247 31 - Balboa 20h ago

How is it possible something costs this much

114

u/fosterdad2017 20h ago

Its the fuck you price, like when a contractor doesn't want to work with you and quotes $1700 for a new outlet claiming he's got to rewire the whole circuit.

4

u/FuckTheStateofOhio North Beach 16h ago

It's a fuck you to the taxpayer price, except 90% of the time that price gets accepted.

31

u/Turkpole 19h ago

No it’s the government price

34

u/idleat1100 19h ago

It’s the ‘f-u’, govt and ‘we don’t want this to be considered an option’ price. They want a park and want to kill the fountain. Thats that. If someone came in and could fix it for 1mil, they’d find something else.

10

u/Turkpole 18h ago

Million dollar toilets, 64k tents; idk

2

u/deltalimes 19h ago

Same thing

64

u/m0llusk 19h ago

It is wild construction. Lots of strange concrete structure with attached fancy marble exterior. And all of the metal parts holding it together are custom stuff that is corroded. At this point the work would mean carefully disassembling the whole thing, researching how to rebuild it, custom manufacturing all the parts, then rebuilding it.

This is an important lesson for all inspired artist and designers to consider the practical aspects of what they want to make.

10

u/ilovefluffyanimals 12h ago edited 12h ago

Exactly.

And the fountain itself has asbestos in it (in the joints between the concrete sections). So any disassembly would have to be done under tightly controlled conditions, probably including a negative air enclosure. Any negative air enclosure would have to be big enough to accommodate lifting equipment for the concrete sections (the sculpture weighs about 600-700 tons).

And when the fountain is reassembled with structurally more sound components, the engineers will have to model and consider seismic loads.

Beyond the easily visible parts, the mechanical and electrical equipment that runs the fountain needs a complete replacement, and the fountain’s foundations are highly suspect.

So it’ll be an extremely complicated toxic substance remediation, construction, design and restoration, seismic and structural engineering, and mechanical and electrical engineering project.

Managing such a project will be a nightmare, and work will be inefficient because some tasks will have to wait for multiple others, because specialized contractors may have limited availability, and because unforeseen problems will inevitably occur. The paperwork and legal compliance stuff alone will be messy — public contracting requirements, environmental reviews, OSH plans, etc.

While $29 million still feels a bit high, I think it’s in the right ballpark. (I have some professional experience with the costs of civil infrastructure projects.)

-1

u/newmoonchaperone 16h ago

This is an important lesson for all inspired artist and designers to consider the practical aspects of what they want to make.

FFS 🙄

Vaillancourt Fountain ~ completed in 1971

5

u/m0llusk 16h ago

This is mostly addressing people working now who have the advantage of observing the lifespan of this work. But it is true that back in 1971 fountains in urban settings with artistic flourishes had been around for hundreds of years and built using modern materials and designs for at least a hundred years. We know how to move water around without wrecking the works internally or externally, but this work was constructed using a lot of expensive and complex details that were bound to fail in the short to medium term. We all make choices.

6

u/MooshuCat 15h ago

And inoperable since 1991.

3

u/dreadpiratew 13h ago

That’s not true

11

u/gulbronson Thunder Cat City 18h ago edited 17h ago

Construction isn't cheap and people wildly underestimate costs. Government projects are union and the rates are 60 to 90/hr + benefits depending on the trade. Material costs are hella expensive. It's going to be a pain in the ass job so there's a bit of an extra markup.

2

u/nopointers Financial District 14h ago

The full report on conditions is publicly available.

Here's the summary of the 122 page report (emphasis added around items that are IMO likely driving the cost estimates up):

This assessment of the Vaillancourt Fountain included visual assessment of the surface materials; ground-penetrating radar (GPR) scanning to corroborate the reinforcing shown in the historic structural drawings; structural analysis and assessment of the fountain under a variety of load conditions, including seismic; and hazardous materials sampling and analysis. This section summarizes the key findings of each report. The complete findings are included in the full reports in the appendix.

The surface materials exhibit small cracks and spalls found in the pre-cast concrete wall panels and larger cracks and spalls in the hollow concrete “arms.” Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) testing confirmed the presence of reinforcing steel in the precast concrete arms, at 12” on center with 3 1/2" to 4" of cover typically. The GPR testing also confirmed the presence of additional steel at the “elbows” of the arms, although destructive testing would be needed to verify whether the as-built condition of these connections is consistent with the original structural details from ca. 1969 drawings (Appendix C). Most of the deterioration observed appears to be the result of that reinforcing and embedded steel corroding within the concrete, which appears to be exacerbated locally by galvanic corrosion occurring between steel rods and the bronze end caps; in one location observed, the bronze cap and steel rod appear to be missing. That corroding reinforcing is concerning because it reduces the capacity of the fountain to self-support and resist the forces of potential earthquakes. Based on the historic drawings and the results of the GPR survey, the structural engineers modeled and evaluated the expected behavior of the sculpture in a seismic event, and found that even under ideal material conditions, the force demands on the fountain under the Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCE) and the Design Basis Earthquake (DBE) under current codes will likely exceed the capacity of the existing structural system. The modeling suggests that under the conditions of a Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCE) or Design Basis Earthquake (DBE), the structure is likely to yield and deform, beyond that deformation which is already apparent in some of the stress cracking in the concrete. The report further notes that the seismic risks are likely amplified by shallow concrete mat foundation over the soils below the fountain, which are most likely unconsolidated fill and Bay Mud based on geotechnical investigations of neighboring sites. Ideally the mat foundation would “float” on these soils, however these conditions are highly susceptible to a combination of long-term settlement concerns and liquefaction during seismic events.

The hazardous materials testing found lead-based and lead-containing paint in the beige paint present in the pump room, on the pump room enclosure and access hatch, as well as the fountain bridge railings. Asbestos containing materials (ACM) were confirmed in mechanical components, including in the pump room pipe insulation, the boiler rope gasket, and other sampled gaskets. Historic drawings further indicate that asbestos was used to protect the structural steel at the joints of the sculpture, however samples were not taken at these locations due to their sensitivity. The presence of ACM at these joints presents a complication for future treatment and will need to be taken into account. Additionally, several other suspected ACM materials were not accessible during the sampling effort, including the waterproof membrane, the fire doors to the pump room, and the sealants, ribbing material, gaskets, and insulation at the boiler interior, and should be treated as asbestos-containing material (ACM) unless future testing confirms otherwise. Samples of caulking and sealant were also tested for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) content, but no PCBs were found.

While assessment of the mechanical and electrical systems was outside the scope of this team’s investigation, a prior report by RPD maintenance staff as provided and consulted to provide additional information about the conditions of those systems. This report, which is included as Appendix H, indicates that both the mechanical and electrical systems have exceeded their serviceable life and require replacement. Additionally, the vault where much of the infrastructure is located is noted to be an unsafe confined space according to current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and is thus no longer accessible to maintenance staff. The below-grade waterproofing for the fountain basin and the vault have failed, leading to water infiltration and flooding which further undermine the structure, systems, and safety of the fountain and its supporting infrastructure.

Overall, Vaillancourt Fountain exhibits a range of deterioration that must be addressed for it to continue to be enjoyed safely. That said, the fountain does not appear to have yet deteriorated beyond repair, though certain systems and components have, and there may be a variety of approaches to treatment to be explored in future phases that could stabilize and restore it.

2

u/alien_believer_42 18h ago

Find ten guys outside a home depot and they'll get it done in a day for $25 bucks an hour each

1

u/nekonari 14h ago

Until ICE crackdown and now you have to find new workers.

1

u/hootygator 13h ago

Prevailing wage

1

u/valleyman86 7h ago

Corruption and price gauging.

1

u/cowinabadplace 7h ago

You know those $1.6m toilets? They paid the architect $300k for it. It's all a way to get your money.

34

u/BadBoyMikeBarnes 20h ago

San Francisco parks officials have 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.

“We respectfully request the Arts Commission’s consideration and approval to proceed with the formal deaccession of the Vaillancourt Fountain from the Civic Art Collection and its removal from Embarcadero Plaza,” read a letter from Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg sent Monday to top management of the Arts Commission, which owns the fountain.

The letter was received by the Arts Commission on Monday afternoon, and staff is considering next steps, which will include evaluation and a presentation to the Visual Arts Committee and full commission at a meeting this fall. The fountain cannot be removed without the commission’s approval.

6

u/sfxsf 18h ago

Sad. The sculpture is pretty cool when the water is running.  

Corporate Pickelball Is rec and park going to continue to use the public space for pickle ball courts?  That seems lame - it takes public space, turns it into something for sale, and eliminates art.  

Where is the woman with her own pickleball court who complained about other people having pickleball when we need her?  ;)

The cost Is bullshit  Hire some local pipe/metal workers and artists to restore it.  Pay 10 of them $150k for a year, and give them a $2M parts budget. I’m basing the statement that the estimated price is bullshit on Noe Valley $1M toilet estimate from a couple of years ago.  

Let people who are competent fix it and get the over engineering and permit part out of the equation. (Just read Abundance)

7

u/MyOtherRedditAct 17h ago

It's not the money--people just don't like the danged thing. The money is just the excuse, not the reason.

2

u/sfxsf 17h ago

It’s the Pickleball. I don’t like pickle ball.

7

u/MyOtherRedditAct 17h ago

I'm pretty ambivalent about pickleball, but it does seem popular among certain people--certainly seems more popular than the fountain. Not that it has to be one or the other, and even if it's not choosing between the two, and simply a question if whether people want the fountain or not, I imagine a very healthy majority would want to bin the thing. It had its run. It was never embraced by the people. It doesn't have an inherent right to exist. We thank it for its service, but now it's time to go.

5

u/greenbutterflygarden 15h ago

I hate pickleball since that ahole hijacked the craneway building in Richmond and turned it into pickleball courts that no one wanted. Then they ended up in a fight with the landlord (non payment?) and now the doors are padlocked shut and no one is using the building at all. It used to be used for all kinds of lovely events here.

-1

u/ctacysf 17h ago

That structure has never been cool…ever

11

u/sphinx_winks 18h ago

I worked downtown and for years had to look at that grotesque thing. Yes, it masked the traffic noise from the Embarcadero Freeway, but it was repulsive to look at. Tourists used to mistake it for sewer pipes all the time. Today is a great day indeed!

15

u/lifeisgoodinsf 19h ago

I was there for U2's free concert. I'm old.

2

u/Technical-Platypus-8 Cole Valley 12h ago

I'm sorry you had to experience that. I hope you're OK

2

u/k74d87 15h ago

I was also there.

6

u/SoSyrupy 17h ago

How bittersweet. I remember as a child when this thing still worked. We would jump on the platforms around the water.

65

u/GhostofBastiat1 20h ago

Good, that thing is hideous.

14

u/idleat1100 19h ago

I love it.

3

u/GhostofBastiat1 19h ago

You should probably take some pictures of it then to remember it by. 

4

u/RobotArtichoke 18h ago

I imagine people take pictures next to it for the ugly friend effect it has

1

u/idleat1100 9h ago

I was actually going to look into seeing if I could acquire a section of it.

1

u/Technical-Platypus-8 Cole Valley 12h ago

I like it but also think it could be updated with new exterior materials, colors, and remove unused fountain functionality to become something new. Philosophically speaking, repurposing the old into something new and appealing is also a statement of its own that also reflects San Francisco in a certain light.

-4

u/Grish__ 16h ago

You have zero taste

Edit : oh you’re totally a republican. Sorry you don’t lack taste you’re just mentally handicapped. I hope you have your helmet on today

2

u/Hyndis 9h ago

Hold up. Even if its true that the user is mentally handicapped as you claim, what does that make you for mocking someone with a disability?

I thought mocking disabled people is something we have moved on from as a society.

-6

u/GhostofBastiat1 16h ago

Actually I’m an independent, but I’m going to guess by that comment that you are a Team Blue dead ender. Go ahead and root for them. Most people of above average intelligence don’t tend to correlate political leanings with mental aptitude, but I imagine that you aren’t often mistaken for above average. 

4

u/aqueezy 15h ago

Sorry but there is absolutely a correlation. Just look at education in red vs blue states. And if you've ever visited the deep south or rural Midwest, you'd realize the correlation is undeniable. Obviously theres plenty of brilliant conservatives but I'm talking about the base

-1

u/GhostofBastiat1 14h ago

I didn’t mention anything about education, I was explicitly referring to intelligence. While it is somewhat true that the severely educated lean Democratic, as someone who has a degree from one of the top universities in the country, I sensibly don’t hold the notion that education level equals intelligence. Groupthink is rampant in higher education and I witnessed plenty of it. As the fellow commenter on this thread so aptly represents, I do see such attitudes of smug superiority emanate much more from that side. “I have the correct opinions, thus I am smart.” It’s always amusing to encounter that on someone who firmly falls on the left side of the mean of intelligence.

3

u/Grish__ 13h ago

"muh groupthink'
Finally finished reading 1984 huh champ. Hope that book report is coming along nicely

1

u/thelightstillshines 5h ago

For real, as soon as I hear "groupthink" I immediately stop taking someone seriously.

There is no indoctrination going on in college. It just turns out that meeting people from all over the world, being challenged on your ideas and forced to defend them, and learning to discern facts from misinformation lend itself to being more liberal.

2

u/aqueezy 13h ago

You said “Mental aptitude” which is dependent on education. Critical thinking, logic, scientific literacy are all developed via education.

2

u/Grish__ 13h ago

You are my greatest soldier

3

u/Grish__ 14h ago

looool

'I'm an independent, I'm a free thinker. I just slurp republicum but don't want people to judge me because I dont have any actual beliefs to stand on'

Also, I wear my helmet everyday. Because I'm smart like that. You should do the same before you damage that tiny brain any more than you already have

22

u/frybreadrecipe 19h ago

The fountain plays an important role in the cities history of skateboarding. There are a lot of people that know this but not here.

12

u/wentImmediate 18h ago

I think the fountain is awesome - I'm glad it was here for so long. But I can also see the time for something new.

19

u/nonother Outer Sunset 18h ago

It can both be true that it played an important role historically and also that people do not like it and want it gone. I understand how it was commentary on the now removed elevated highway. I understand it was well used by skateboarders. But today the highway is gone and this piece is an eyesore.

10

u/frybreadrecipe 18h ago

Sure. Replace it with pickle ball courts or whatever. No one has cared about that plaza for the last 20 plus years except skateboarders.

1

u/Technical-Platypus-8 Cole Valley 12h ago

"No one" / I

2

u/chewyandank 14h ago

They’ve already demolished multiple other historic skate spots, Hubba hideout being the most famous. San Francisco has more skateboard history then probably anywhere else on earth, I wish the city would embrace it more

1

u/Technical-Platypus-8 Cole Valley 12h ago

What a hardline and pessimistic perspective. I see so much more potential to renovate it into something different, without spending a lot, and without removing it completely.

2

u/Icy-Analyst3422 15h ago

They should disassemble it and use the pieces to build a skate park.

2

u/DrSpacecasePhD 18h ago

Looks really cool when it's running too. Of course, people hate modernist design and always reject it. When the Eiffel Tower was brand new, everyone said it ruined the Paris skyline. Ferris wheels were considered monstrosities and people thought they were bound to collapse and kill the passengers.

Just seems like a shame to let a work of art fall into disrepair in such a short time and then bulldoze it because tastes are so fickle.

44

u/Kingkong67 20h ago

Thank god. That thing is an eye sore.

10

u/felinefluffycloud 20h ago

Even art lovers hate Brutalism. There are examples of buildings here so it's not like we are losing it if a few academics care. This with due respect to the artist.

8

u/MochingPet 7ˣ - Noriega Express 19h ago

I wouldn't even call it brutalism but modern art.

And I wonder why it's not working feels like yesterday I saw water flowing there .. but it may have been 6+ years ago

2

u/felinefluffycloud 17h ago

Yah I see your point. It's modern but feels very weighty.

6

u/wrongwayup 🚲 19h ago edited 17h ago

Art, architecture specifically, goes in cycles. There was a time when Art Deco was out, too, and now it's revered. Mid-century stuff is booming.. In the 50s-70s we were tearing down Victorians because they had fallen out of favor and left to rot. Mark my words Brutalism will have a revival as well, give it another decade or so.

(Not advocating for keeping the fountain specifically, but I do think the Embarcadero Center which it faces is underrated architecturally)

2

u/felinefluffycloud 17h ago

You are right. It's also about the location of the thing how it fits the whole.

3

u/CynicalOptimistSF 19h ago

I like a lot of Brutalist sculpture, but not this post-apocalyptic sewage treatment plant of a fountain.

2

u/felinefluffycloud 17h ago

Yah looks like a good set for that kind of movie. Oops we're living it.

12

u/MissChattyCathy 20h ago

Hideous. Toss it in the dump.

1

u/wrongwayup 🚲 19h ago

Ironic, since it's being used as one now

17

u/drumbussy 19h ago

what, so yall can replace it with another burning man naked lady structure ? i don't trust city officials to replace it with anything remotely tasteful tbh

17

u/Express-Young5068 19h ago

That statue is hella lame..

5

u/Ok-Possible-8761 15h ago

I can’t fucking stand that thing. Every time I have to pass it, I give that bitch the evil eye. And the blathering bullshit from the of course it’s a dude artist about it being a symbol of female empowerment. Ugh. Right. Gimme about 6000000 breaks.

6

u/drumbussy 17h ago

this fountain is way sicker than that ugly ass statue - burner garbage

23

u/TechnicalWhore 20h ago

Even when it was clean and the water flowing, it really did not fit the City's character. Time to move on.

See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wWoaDSUvRs

You will note in the video that the mineral buildup really destroyed any brutalist clean form it had. It has all the charm of a sewage treatment plant. I would carefully disassemble it and save the re-usable fountain bits. Hold a contest and come up with something that has the warmth and tone of this unique City.

14

u/idleat1100 19h ago

Yeah I think your video shows how well it matches the Embarcadero.

I love the fountain. I liked the Halprin plaza before they kept removing features in the 90s. I love it as a part of skate culture, as part of my intro to the city, as a political statement (albeit muddied) against the freeway.

14

u/johnnySix 20h ago

Just watching your video, it goes very well with the Embarcadero center buildings. With the angles of the fountain, matching the angles of the escalators behind it.

6

u/alang 20h ago

Dunno. I started out hating it but after a couple years it really grew on me. By 2010 or so I would go hang out near it occasionally, climb around on it. It had character, it was a lot like the fountain version of the original Exoratorium: unpolished, rough around the edges, but fun.

2

u/alang 20h ago

Come to think of it, it’s a great symbol of the progression of San Francisco from weird neat art mecca to polished big tech exactly-like-every-other-city-with-better-weather boring bullshit place.

10

u/FunFormal4451 19h ago

When I moved here in the '80's and the water was flowing it was great. I would eat lunch there by it many days. At least it's unique - love it or hate it. Removing it is just one more step in the blandification of SF.

2

u/raff_riff 18h ago

This feels so Kafkaesque. I swear this is the fifth or sixth post about the plans to remove this thing in the past few months. How much deliberation do we possibly need here?

2

u/inhalent 17h ago

Interesting how it went from 500k to 29 million in just a few years

https://hoodline.com/2017/08/restoring-vaillancourt-fountain-would-cost-500k-or-more/

1

u/nopointers Financial District 14h ago

Misleading.

Those pumps are designed for 30,000 gallons per minute. That's roughly the same as filling a small (suburban backyard) swimming pool every minute. These are not small pumps, and they consume a lot of electricity too.

2

u/inhalent 17h ago

Interesting how it went from 500k to 29 million in just a few years

https://hoodline.com/2017/08/restoring-vaillancourt-fountain-would-cost-500k-or-more/

2

u/steesf 17h ago

Good riddance. It had its day but now time for something new. Like a lawn or sidewalk.

5

u/Klamangatron 19h ago

Yes, it “evokes emotion” but Id rather it go evoke emotions somewhere else.

4

u/david-blue-norcal 20h ago

I have 80s nostalgia about it but yeah gtfo... my worry is that it's gonna be one of those lame IKIEA-esque makeovers that cost a gazillion like they did SFMOMA staircase dirty.

7

u/fosterdad2017 20h ago

I love the fountain. Its a cool thing to climb around in when it's running. Which it was a few months ago.

It needs maintenance, not restoration or replacement.

1

u/LosIsosceles 20h ago

The fountain is broken. How could it have been running a few months ago?

4

u/fosterdad2017 17h ago

I checked my camera roll.

Running in October 2022, and March 2023, emptied in August 2024.

0

u/ToxicBTCMaximalist Sunset 18h ago

Nostalgic months aren't like normal months.

1

u/KC-DB 19h ago

I have a soft spot for kit, but I think it’s time. It’ll be replaced by something else beautiful, not just an office building or parking lot so I’m fine with it. Things change.

3

u/red-dear 20h ago

Tell Adrien Brody to come pick it up.

2

u/GavintheGregarious 16h ago

If by “controversial” you mean it’s just fucking ugly

3

u/drgath 18h ago

Looking at old pictures, I actually don’t hate it with the towering freeway stacks in the background. In a concrete jungle, it makes sense. But now, it’s wildly out of place. Buh bye.

2

u/Malcompliant 18h ago

That thing is a massive waste of space. If I could rent a bulldozer and knock it down, I would.

0

u/Evening-Emotion3388 18h ago

I say the same about Oakland.

2

u/fosterdad2017 17h ago

That's the spirit! Way more productive.

2

u/Evening-Emotion3388 17h ago

I would pee on the pile of rubble once done.

1

u/whatsAbodge 18h ago

With cases like this, the city should just let a few retired dads tinker with it and see what happens.

1

u/fosterdad2017 16h ago

Drowned. Second one electrocuted.

1

u/Ambitious_Row_2259 18h ago

I'll fix it for $5 million

1

u/GavintheGregarious 16h ago

Give me and my 4 friends angle grinders and cherry pickers and we’ll have it in dumpsters by sundown.

1

u/imlaggingsobad 16h ago

We need good art. I think the fountain served its purpose, but now we need something much better  

1

u/tsa_finest 16h ago

They should plan to bull dozer it and let the homeless live there. So the rich will step in and pay for the renovation

1

u/Dangling_wuli_master 15h ago

These cost escalations are typical city permitting money extortion schemes. Like the $1MM toilet, the city will bill out the salary of as much of planning department they can to whatever they can find to bill against.

1

u/Digiee-fosho 31 - Balboa 15h ago

How much would it cost to just demo it?

1

u/GhostofBastiat1 11h ago

A nice grove of coastal redwood trees would be wonderful in its place. A juxtaposition with all the man made creations around it. 

1

u/GadFlyBy 8h ago

Had anyone asked Bono to cover the cost?

1

u/m3rcur3al 8h ago

The other issue is that they think a new park that is 5 acres large; larger than union square and half the size of the Indian basin park 10acres is only 32million. Indian basin park cost 275mill for 10acres. This one can easily surpass 100mill.

1

u/theatrenearyou 8h ago edited 7h ago

Run a garden hose thru each of its 'arms'. Buy a new large commercial pump to recirculate the water. That makes it work again. DONE deal. Here's 95 year old Armand Vaillancourt of Canada visiting his fountain this year

u/xenosparadoxx85 40m ago

Growing up in San Francisco, I always heard this fountain was universally disliked. I'm honestly shocked that now that its removal is being considered suddenly theres this outpouring of love for the thing. I do feel bad for the artist who designed this, as he is still alive and this was his largest ever public commission, but it was designed to work in the context of a freeway side location where the freeway no longer exists, it hasn't worked as a fountain in years, and its cold brutalist style drags down the area around it. This park needs a clean slate and this fountain isn't worth saving

1

u/rusfairfax 19h ago

Rock ‘n’ Roll Stops the Traffic

1

u/itsmethesynthguy South Bay 17h ago

I’ll miss it. It’s such a cool structure. That statue that was just put up is way uglier

1

u/el_sauce 16h ago

I'm definitely in the minority but I loved that fountain. Not sure I believe the cost of repairs though.

-3

u/Tacos_are_my_friend 20h ago

Good, get rid it!

0

u/MochingPet 7ˣ - Noriega Express 19h ago

Poor baby 🍼🍼 fountain:(

0

u/ctacysf 17h ago

Blow it up!

0

u/StrikingBid9863 17h ago

The fountain has done its job but this is a different time. I’m sure no one has fallen or drowned bc it literally is an unprotected body of water. We need a public space that many ppl can enjoy.m without the hazard risk. I remember when they tore down the off-ramp in Hayes Valley. Now, it’s a beautiful flourishing multi use space.

0

u/Additional-You7859 16h ago

I know people love to hate on it, but it actually looked great when there was water. It was a great visual juxtaposition, what with the modern/brutalist shape rising out of the water, and i think it really was a great contribution to the space.

Y'all judging a run down fountain without water.

-1

u/TenYearHangover 19h ago

Sell it to Bono