"That brought out the cavalry of Vaillancourt Fountain fans to defend the long-not functioning public art piece, even bringing the original 95-year-old artist Armand Vaillancourt to SF to fight for it. But the fountain problems came to a head this past June when the SF Rec and Parks Department declared the fountain hazardous and fenced it off to the public. Rec and Parks then formally requested the fountain's removal in August."
"Still, the fountain's supporters had their one last chance appeal to the SF Board of Supervisors at yesterday's weekly Board of Supervisors meeting. But the supervisors were not exactly gushing over the dilapidated old fountain, and voted 10-1 to reject the appeal and have Vaillancourt Fountain removed. I do believe that this fountain, which is a 710-ton concrete structure, poses a significant public safety hazard, Supervisor Danny Sauter, who represents the fountain's District 3, said before voting to remove the fountain."
Vaillancourt Fountain, a brutalist concrete structure installed in 1971 at Embarcadero Plaza, has deteriorated and long been controversial. A proposed $30 million plaza redesign in July 2024 omitted the fountain, prompting supporters to rally, including bringing 95-year-old artist Armand Vaillancourt to San Francisco. The SF Recreation and Parks Department declared the fountain hazardous in June and fenced it off, then requested removal in August. The San Francisco Arts Commission voted to remove the fountain in early November. An appeal to the Board of Supervisors was rejected in a 10-1 vote, with officials citing public safety hazards and structural neglect. Supporters raised concerns about CEQA procedural review failures.
#vaillancourt-fountain #brutalist-architecture #historic-preservation #san-francisco-board-of-supervisors
Read at sfist.com
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