- Skidmore Fountain
- Elk Fountain
- Salmon Street Springs
- The Dreamer
- Ira Kellers Forcourt Fountain
- Lovejoy Fountain
- Chimeny Fountain
- Animals in Pools
- McCoy Fountain
- Holladay Park Fountain
- Kelly Fountain
- Pioneer Courthouse Square Waterfall
- Shemanski Fountain
- O-Bryant Square
- Jamison Square
- Benson Bubblers
It was not exactly popular with the local brewer and barkeepers at the time but it was a thought to be a thoughtful gesture from a major employer.
According to the stories, one day in 1912, Simon Benson was walking the floor of one of his many lumber mills when he noticed the smell of alcohol on workers’ breath. By the turn of the twentieth century, Benson had become well known as one of Portland’s most prolific lumber barons, civic leaders and philanthropists.
When asked why they had been drinking beer during the day, the men responded that there were no ready sources of fresh drinking water available. Benson, to provide an alternative midday beverage, immediately commissioned 20 elegant, bowl-shaped freshwater drinking fountains. This was later referred to as the “Benson Bubblers.” It was reported that beer consumption in the city dramatically decreased 25 percent after the fountains were installed. However, historians note that this was more likely due to the emerging temperance movement than the 20 new drinking fountains.
The first Benson Bubbler was installed with much fanfare at S.W. 5th and Washington Streets, just a few steps from the famous Benson Hotel. The Benson Bubbler was a graceful, four-bowl fountain designed by A. E. Doyle. Doyle was noted architect of both the Multnomah County Library and the Meier & Frank Building. By 1917, the city had installed 40 of the fountains throughout the downtown area.
It was originally decreed by Benson that the Portland water fountains run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But today, they have timers and run freely from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. The common four-bowl models consume less than four gallons of water per minute. On hot days, they help refresh an entire metropolitan city.
The Portland Water Bureau installed small flow-restriction devices to the Benson Bubblers to reduce their overall water consumption in 2005. While they do not alter the physical appearance of the fountains, they have reduced water use 47% while maintaining adequate flow and pressure for drinking. The Benson Bubblers, overall, use less than one-tenth of one percent of Portland’s daily water demand.