Pittsburgh offers plenty of refreshing water havens during the summer months
2012-03-29 03:04:15
By Bill Toland, Virginia Linn, Patricia Lowry, Marylynne Pitz and Katy Buchanan / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Each number [Â 1-17Â ]
on the map links to a photo of that fountain.
File photo
Completed: 1974. Fun fact: Pittsburgh's "fourth river" -- an underground flow -- feeds the fountain, shooting a geyser 150 feet into the air. No one will be allowed to wade in the water when it reopens.
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1961. Fun fact: This area was formerly known as Equitable Plaza, and underwent a partial redesign in 2004.
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1956. Fun fact: It was dedicated in 1957, using water from the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio rivers.
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1985. Fun fact: Artist Jerry Caplan depicted some notable Pittsburghers, and if you know where to look, he's in there, too.
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 2003. Fun fact: The 140 jets of water are illuminated by 280 underground lights, and its water pulses 15 feet in the air.
Mike Elek/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1982.
Fun fact: A Woolworth's store used to be on this site. The water feature draws from the same underground "fourth river" as the
Point State Park fountain.
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1983. Fun fact: It features eight plumes of water, and it's part of the One Oxford Centre complex that kicked off the second renaissance of Downtown development in the 1980s.
8. ALLEGHENY COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1977. Fun fact: The county didn't have the money to build it. The Sarah Scaife Foundation donated $64,000 for materials, and the county provided the workers.
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 2000. Fun fact: This was built for just $300,000 and runs the entire length of the building's facade along First Avenue.
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1972. Fun fact: Holding about 45,000 gallons, it's one of the largest fountains in the city when it comes to capacity.
11. MELLON GREEN FOUNTAIN
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 2001. Fun fact: Its location near Sixth Avenue and Grant Street puts it at one of Downtown's busiest intersections.
Post-Gazette
Completed: 1955. Fun fact: The design of the fountain makes it appear that water is hovering over the plaza.
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1994. Fun fact: The fountain is made of flamed finished granite, and the plaza was designed to allow views of Pittsburgh's classic architecture.
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1999. Fun fact: Its heated water flows year-round, and when viewed from above, the fountain suggests lactacting breasts.
15. THE REGIONAL ENTERPRISE TOWER
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1953. Fun fact: Under Alcoa's tenure, the company's Christmas manger display sometimes seemed to come alive as the characters' costumes flapped in the winter air.
16. ALLEGHENY HARVARD-YALE-PRINCETON CLUB
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 1930. Fun fact: The fountain and brick wall are built from stones from Yale and Princeton.
17. DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER
Bill Wade/Post-Gazette
Completed: 2003. Fun fact: The $7 million twin cascading fountains are part of the convention center's heat-exchange system.
Daniel Marsula/Post-Gazette illustration
An interactive map of 17 Downtown fountains.
Our crown jewel fountain at Point State Park (No. 1 on the map above) is dry until 2012 while it undergoes repairs, and a few others also need work, but there are plenty of other burbling basins to enjoy in the city. Some are old, some are new, some tucked away and some in plain view. But they all make a splash, so put on your walking shoes, follow this guide and discover the cool fountains of Downtown Pittsburgh.
1. Point State Park
At the Point
COMPLETED: 1974
DETAILS: When it rose for the first time on July 23, 1974, the fountain in Point State Park sprayed a geyser of water that was 150 feet high.
First Published July 11, 2010 12:00 am
PG video: 
