Seattle Center seeks public input to help design the future of The Fountain of Creation, aka Dupen Fountain, nestled in the lower Northwest Courtyard between SIFF Film Center and the New Arena at Seattle Center. The opportunity to undertake some much-needed fountain updates arose in conjunction with Arena redevelopment, and the goal is to complete the work by the time the Arena opens. The Survey remains online through August 31.
Recent Seattle Center visitors may have noticed that the fountain is temporarily closed due to Arena construction. The City of Seattle is using the down time to reimagine how the fountain might serve future generations as it restores and updates the site. Survey responses will help planners respond to what fountain users love about it – and what they don’t! The survey asks questions like: what’s your favorite way to experience the fountain; and what do you think would make it even better?
Everett Dupen’s bronze and stone water garden was created for the 1962 World’s Fair with direction from Seattle modernist architect Paul Thiry. The fountain references the evolution of life and water’s critical role in that process as it celebrates humans, plants and animals on land, sea and in the air. The City of Seattle remodeled the fountain in the early 1990s, adding some 45 stones and boulders to the piece and installing equipment to improve water quality. A popular spot for wading toddlers and their moms in the summer and a pleasant place for quiet contemplation during the cool months.
The survey can be accessed at: bit.ly/2ZaUwpG. For more information on the what’s happening at Seattle Center, click on seattlecenter.com or call 206-684-7200.
