McMillan Fountain
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| McMillan Fountain | |
|---|---|
 Current state, fully reconstructed | |
| Artist | Herbert Adams |
| Year | 1912 |
| Dimensions | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Owner | Reservoir District DC |
The McMillan Fountain is a public artwork by American artist Herbert Adams located on the McMillan Reservoir grounds. The fountain, completed in 1912,[1] emplaced in 1913[2] and dedicated after October 1919,[1] consists of a sculptural group of the Three Graces placed upon a pink granite base. Cast by Roman Bronze Works, the fountain was originally part of a large landscape setting designed by Charles A. Platt.[1][2] It was dismantled in 1941 and moved to storage.[2] The partially reconstructed fountain currently resides near its original location at McMillan Reservoir in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C.[1][2]
A tribute to James McMillan, the fountain was paid for by citizens of Michigan, who raised $25,000 by way of pennies, nickels and dimes donated by public school children. Congress also funded totaling $15,000 towards the completion.[2]
In 1913 Charles Moore, a former aide to Senator McMillan and eventual chairman of the United States Commission of Fine Arts, described the fountain as "...a beautiful fountain is the one which seems most suitable to the memory of Senator McMillan, who was by nature quiet and modest in all personal matters. And its location, also, is most fortunate, for through his labors the water supply of Washington was perfected and a filtration plant was provided. The use of The Three Graces are meant to provide the viewer of the fountain with a feeling of honor, allegorical generosity, grave, serenity and virtue – metaphorical reflections of McMillan's contributions and "civil morality."[2]
Unlike many other fountains in Washington, which were often left dry during the city's extremely hot summers, the McMillan Fountain provided a constant source of water throughout the year, providing a restful and cooling spot for residents of the Bloomingdale.[2]