The Benson Bubbler Legacy

In 1912 Simon Benson, a local businessman and philanthropist, donated $10,000 to the City of Portland to purchase and install 20 bronze drinking fountains, now known as Benson Bubblers.

Local folklore tells us that Simon Benson donated the 20 bronze drinking fountains as an effort to keep loggers out of the saloons at lunchtime. Others say that Benson was inspired after seeing a little girl crying at a 4th of July parade because she could not find a drink of water. Either

photo: ROMAN JOHNSTON Portland Building way, the Benson Bubblers have become a historical and enduring legacy in Portland.

Portland’s first Benson Bubbler was installed at SW 5th Avenue and Washington Street. Another one of the original Portland Water Bureau Bubblers was installed in front of Benson’s home, where it 1120 SW 5th Avenue, Room 600 Portland, OR 97204-1926 remains today, to commemorate his generous gift to Phone: 503-823-7404 Customer Service: 503-823-7770 the city. Website: portlandoregon.gov/water Oregon Historical Society

The remaining 18 original Bubblers were installed by 1917. The City of Portland will make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. Please notify us no less than five (5) Currently, the Portland Water Bureau proudly maintains business days prior to the event by phone at 503-823-7404, by the City’s TTY at 503-823-6868, or by the Oregon Relay Service 52 of the four-bowl Benson Bubbler fountains throughout at 1-800-735-2900. downtown Portland. Printed on recycled paper 05/2013

Cover photo: Oregon Historical Society

An Icon Conservation Efforts Guide to the Downtown Benson Bubblers In addition to the 52 four-bowl The Portland Water Bureau is committed to using water 79 Benson Bubblers, Portland is home wisely, and has made significant changes in the design and to 74 single-bowl variations, which operation of the Bubblers over the years to improve their

often confuses people. Though water efficiency. For example, in 1995 the bureau narrowed NW 20th To Ocean 78 Jeld-Wen Field the single-bowl fountains look the feed lines to the Beaches 77 Northwest/Nob Hill like official Benson Bubblers, Bubblers. This cut NW 19th SW 17th NW RALEIGH NW QUIMBY To Astoria they are not. In fact, in the 1970s water use almost 50 NW 18th

SW 1 76 NW PETTYGROVE 6th NW HOYT the Benson family asked that the in half! NW 17th NW IRVING NW LOVEJOY NW KEARNEY NW JOHNSON NW OVERTON NW MARSHALL SW 1 NW NORTHRUP four-bowl fountains be limited to 5th In 2000, the bureau SW 1 NW 16th certain downtown boundaries so SW 4th installed timers that 13th NW SAVIER

as not to diminish the uniqueness NW THURMAN SW 1 shut fountains off 2th BURNSIDE W. of them. photo: ROMAN JOHNSTON SW during low-usage 11th NW 14th Portland State And while most Benson Bubblers are indeed located in Portland’s periods, generally University SW 73 Fremont Bridg 49 10th 74 NW 13th thriving downtown area, there are a few notable exceptions. In in the late night and 75 SW PARK SW Pearl 9th NW 12th 1965, the City of Portland presented a Bubbler to Portland’s sister early morning hours. SW JACKSON South Park Blocks District e SW COLLEGE Cultural District city, Sapporo, Japan. SW HALL 26 NW 11th In 2005, the 39 SW BROADWAY46 SW HARRISON 71 SW 6th 44 48 NW 10th Additionally, a Benson Bubbler is housed at the Maryhill Museum Water Bureau SW MILL 47 SW MARKET SW MONTGOMERY 30 of Art located in the Columbia River Gorge. In 2012, a Bubbler was installed small SW 5th 29 NW 9th 31 42 North Park Blocks made a gift to the City of Pendleton, Oregon. flow-restricting SW 4th 34 4543 SW LINCOLN 12 43 41 NW PARK devices in the Bubblers to reduce the amount of water that 5 Keller 13 36 38 6 Auditorium 119 70 18 33 32 NW HOYT NW GLISAN Construction & Design each fountain uses. The devices do not affect the physical 19 28 37 NW LOVEJOY W. BURNSIDE

NW EVERETT NW BROADWAY A.E. Doyle designed the four-bowl Benson Bubbler. Doyle is the 7 14 35 NW FLANDERS NW COUCH NW DAVIS 40 appearance of the fountains, but they do reduce the amount SW 3r 17 27 d 69 TRANSIT MALL noted architect of the Multnomah County Library, Multnomah of water the fountains use by 40 percent. The Bubblers now 67 66 20 72 25 NW SIXTH 24 23 15 Greyhound Falls Lodge and Jeld-Wen Field. SW CLAY 68 use less than 1/10th of 1 percent of Portland’s daily water SW COLUMBIA 8 16 Bus Terminal Union Station Broadway Bridge 60 SW ALDER 22 21 demand, yet they still stand proud as a defining iconic SW JEFFERSON SW MAIN 10 NW 5th Amtrak To Salem SW MADISON 9 SW SALMON Though the Bubblers are made of copper, years of weathering SW OAK MOODY NW 4th SW TAYLOR element of our city’s history. SW PINE SW YAMHILL SW WASHINGTON To Seattle give them the eye-catching patina finish that makes them so RIVE G O 61 Old Town/Chinatown R DR V SW STARK . . . T SW 2n 4 SW MONTGOMERY O SW MORRISON beautiful. Patina is a thin layer of brown and greenish oxides that M d NW 3rd M c SW NAITO PARKWAY H 59 C A L L 62 2 NW 2nd takes years to build up. Well-meaning citizens have “cleaned” off W SW 1st 3 N. LARRABEE A 63 SW AS RIVER PKWY W 57 T E Y BENTON i l R F 1 A N. the patina more than once over l 56 R ANKENY SW W Hawthorne Bridge a m O 65 NW 1st 58 e t N T RD . FOUR-BOWL BUBBLER EAS t e P BI E

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the years, but the Portland Water K E R 64 E A SINGLE-BOWL BUBBLER SP 55 K D E Y

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Bubbler Facts 51 I N

patina finish, preferring it to the 52 . 53 N

N I shiny copper. ◆ In most locations, W Although most Bubblers were Bubblers normally flow from 5:30 a.m. to FOUR-BOWL BUBBLERS 15 SW 5th & Oak 30 SW 6th & Madison (South) 45 SW Park & Washington 58 Eastbank Esplanade 72 NW 6th & Burnside made in local foundries, two ? N. WHEELER Bubblers were made by students 11:30 p.m. daily. 1 SW 1st & Burnside (East) 16 SW 5th & Pine 31 SW 6th & Main 46 SW Park & Madison 59 SW Riverplace & Montgomery 73 SW 12th & Taylor 2 SW 1st & Burnside (West) 17 SW 5th & Alder 32 SW 6th & Morrison (North) 47 SW 9th & Morrison 60 SW Clay & Naito? Parkway 74 SW 12th & Yamhill at Benson High School. The 3 NW 2nd & Davis 18 SW 5th & Salmon 33 SW 6th & Morrison (South) 48 SW 10th & Washington 61 SW 1st & Yamhill 75 SW 12th & NEMorrison FIRST ◆ The fountains run year-round unless 4 SW 3rd & Burnside 19 SW 5th & Taylor 34 SW 6th & Salmon 49 SW Park & Montgomery 62Oregon SW 1st & Stark 76 SW 17th NE& Yamhill SECOND first student-made Bubbler was Convention 5 SW 3rd & Market 20 SW 5th & Washington 35 SW 6th & Stark 50 SW 18th & Morrison 63Center SW 1st & Oak ? 77 SW 18th & Salmon

SE HAWTHORNE BLVD. NE THIRD installed in front of downtown freezing or windy weather requires a E. BURNSIDE 6 SW 3rd & Clay 21 NW 5th & Flanders 36 SW 6thSE MORRISON & YamhillSE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD. 64 SW 1st & Burnside (East) 78 SW 18th and Jefferson Portland’s Oregon Historical temporary shutdown. 7 SW 3rd & Madison 22 NW 5th & Davis 37 SW Broadway & Oak 65 SW 1st & Burnside (West) 79 SWNE 20th M. L.& KINGJefferson JR. SINGLE-BOWL BUBBLERS NE HOLLAD AY SE GRAND AVE. 3 5 6 Society and the work is of the 8 SW 3rd & Morrison 23 NW 6th & Irving 38 SW Broadway & Washington 51 NW Everett at seawall 66 SW 2nd & Madison? NE LLOYD BLVD. NE GRAND AVE. highest quality. Visitors can 9 SW 3rd & Washington 24 NW 6th & Hoyt 39 SW Broadway & Columbia 52 NW Davis at seawall 67 SW 2nd & Jefferson? ? THREE-BOWL BUBBLER ◆ NE SEVENTH Benson Bubbler in Portland’s The fountains are cleaned bi-weekly. 10 SW 4th & Stark 25 NW 6th & Davis 40 NW Broadway & Glisan 53 SW Ankeny at seawall 68 SW 3rd & Yamhill 80 SW Ankeny & Naito Parkway NE HALSEY

view it for themselves at 1200 NE WASCO sister city of Sapporo, Japan 11 SW 4th & Madison 26 SW 6th & Montgomery 41 SW Broadway & Morrison 54 SW Oak & Naito Parkway 69 SW 4th & Yamhill? ? NE EIGHTH SW Park Avenue. 12 SW 5th & Madison 27 SW 6th & Oak 42 SW Yamhill & Broadway (West) 55 SW Stark at seawall 70 Chapman Square NE CLACKAMAS

? ? NE MULTNOMAH 13 SW 5th & Main 28 SW 6th & Alder 43 SW Yamhill & Broadway (East) 56 SW Morrison & seawall (SW 4th & Madison) NE NINTH 14 SW 5th & Morrison 29 SW 6th & Madison (North) 44 SW Park & Salmon 71 SW 5th & Montgomery 57 SW Yamhill & Naito Parkway NE 11TH