On September 22, 1888 the Skidmore fountain was dedicated in memory of Stephen G. Skidmore. Upon his death in 1883, Stephen G. Skidmore, a druggist and well known business man in Portland bequeathed $5,000 for a three tier cascading water fountain to provide drinking water for people (top tier), horses (middle tier) and dogs (lower tier). Skidmore’s business partner Charles Sittion and close friends Henry Failing and Tyler Woodward donated the remainder of the $18,000 to fund the fountain.
In August of 1885, the Portland City Council appointed a Fountain Committee to carry out Skidmore’s bequest. City Council named Portland lawyer, C.E.S. Wood to the committee for his artistic talents and associations with New York artists. Wood recommended a New York artist Olin Warner to create the fountain. Warner at the time was considered to be among the elite of American sculptors.
The fountain caused a bit of controversy during its time of the dedication. It seemed that the sculptured fountain was seen as a bit too elegant and cosmopolitan for a frontier town like Portland. Local brewing legend Henry Weinhard offered at the fountain’s dedication ceremony to pump fresh beer through fountain for free. His offer was declined by the Fountain Committee. For nearly two decades, people drank from tin cups that hung from the lions' heads at the fountain’s base.
Eight years after the fountain was installed, community members discussed the thought of moving the fountain since the surrounding area had become less of the city’s business center and more of warehouse district. In May 1962, the “Skidmore Fountain Plaza” was dedicated as part of the city’s revitalization effort. Today, the fountain and plaza serve as the heart of Portland’s Historic Old Town.
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