San Francisco’s Vaillancourt Fountain was trashed.
When the city drained its iconic concrete Vaillancourt Fountain in the Financial District to address electrical issues, workers were met with a big surprise.
Lining the pentagon-shaped fountain floor of the Brutalist structure were bottles and cans, five electric scooters, a mangled chair, a fire extinguisher, a bike lock and a shoe, according to Reddit photos seen by SF Gate.
By Friday park employees had reportedly cleared out the trash from the waterfront fountain, whose official name is “Quebec Libre!”
San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department told SF Gate the angular fountain, controversial for its modernist appearance, had failing pumps and “quite a few issues” with its electrical system.
The city drained the 36-foot high fountain and cleaned it while determining what repairs to make. When working properly, the fountain pumps out about 30,000 gallons of water per minute.
Vaillancourt Fountain — designed by Canadian artist Armand Vaillancourt in 1971 and erected alongside the since-removed Embarcadero Freeway in 1975 — will remain dry until the fixes are complete, a park spokesperson told SF Gate.
