"You may not know this, but the much reviled Vaillancourt Fountain at Embarcadero Plaza has become an iconic backdrop, and set piece, for skateboarding videos over decades. As city officials move closer to signing the death certificate for SF's Vaillancourt Fountain a jagged, hulking Brutalist work of public art that hasn't necessarily aged well and currently requires millions of dollars in repairs another constituency has come forward besides Brutalist art and architecture fans to oppose the fountain's removal: skaters."
"As KPIX reports, skateboarders going back more than a generation have used the sunken pool around the fountain (when it's been dry), and the stairs within the fountain structure itself, for stunts. And it's become a visual touchstone for SF skateboarding culture, appearing in countless online videos shot at the plaza. The oddly moving video below from Thrasher Magazine two years ago discusses how Embarcadero Plaza was the site of the "rewriting of the history of modern street skating,""
""I've been coming here my whole life. I've skated those stairs. I've been injured on those stairs," says skater Zeke McGuire, speaking to KPIX. Of the 54-year-old fountain itself, McGuire says, "It's extremely awesome. There's people all across the world that come to San Francisco to skate here specifically. So for it to be gone, people would come here to visit and it wouldn't be here anymore, so I would say get it in before it's gone.""
City officials are nearing a decision to remove the 54-year-old Vaillancourt Fountain at Embarcadero Plaza due to deterioration and the need for millions in repairs. The fountain is a jagged Brutalist public artwork that has divided opinion since its installation. Skateboarders across generations have used the fountain's sunken pool and internal stairs for stunts, making it a recurrent backdrop in numerous skate videos and a visual touchstone for San Francisco skate culture. Longtime skaters describe personal ties and tourism value connected to the site, while some residents and critics retain deep dislike for the fountain's appearance.
Read at sfist.com
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