The Bagley Memorial Fountain is a historic fountain in Detroit. It has recently been moved from its long-time location in Campus Martius Park

Campus Martius Park

Campus Martius Park is a re-established park in downtown Detroit, Michigan. After the fire of 1805, Campus Martius was the focal point of judge Augustus Woodward's plans to rebuild the city. It is where the "point of origin" of Detroit's coordinate system is located...

 to a new location in just down the street in Cadillac Square Park. The fountain was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971. The John N. Bagley House

John N. Bagley House

The John N. Bagley House is a private residence located at 2921 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.- Architecture :...

 (1889) at 2921 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit was contructed for Governor Bagley's son, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

John J. Bagley

John J. Bagley

John J. Bagley

John Judson Bagley was a politician from the US state of Michigan, as well as its 16th Governor.-Early life in New York and Michigan:...

 was the 16th governor of Michigan, serving from 1873 to 1877. Bagley also served as a Detroit Alderman from 1860-61 and as Police Commissioner from 1865-72. He was instrumental in the creation of the Detroit Metropolitan Police Commission and the construction of the first Detroit House of Correction. When Bagley died in 1881, his will contained $5,000 for the construction of a drinking fountain for the people of Detroit, having "water cold and pure as the coldest mountain stream."

Fountain

In 1885, the Bagley family chose Henry Hobson Richardson

Henry Hobson Richardson

Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...

 to design the fountain. In 1887, the Bagley Memorial Fountain was dedicated at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Fort Street. Richardson constructed the fountain entirely out of pink Bragville granite, modeled after a ciborium

Ciborium (architecture)

In ecclesiastical architecture, a ciborium is a canopy or covering supported by columns, freestanding in the sanctuary, that stands over and covers the altar in a basilica or other church. It may also be known by the more general term of baldachin, though ciborium is often considered more correct...

 located in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

. The Bagley Memorial Fountain stands 21 feet high with a basin 7 feet across. At the center of the fountain, four lion heads distribute water. In the original design, two of the heads produced "normal" temperature water and the other two produced cold water, chilled by ice packed around the fountain pipes. The inscription on the four sides of the cornice reads: TESTAMENTARY GIFT | FOR THE PEOPLE FROM | JOHN JVDSON BAGLEY | A.D. MDCCCLXXXVII.

Later moves

In 1926 the fountain was moved from its original home at Woodward and Fort to Campus Martius because of the increase of automobile traffic. In 2000, the fountain was removed from it site, disassembled, and put into storage. In 2007, the fountain was installed in its current location in Cadillac Square; a new lion fountainhead replaced the original, which was stolen. It is the only remaining work by Richardson in the Detroit area.