When Dolphins Spout and Storks Stand Guard: D.C.’s Temperance Fountain Refuses to Blend In
Hidden among Washington D.C.’s marble icons, the Temperance Fountain stands out for all the wrong—and right—reasons. Gifted in 1882 by Henry D. Cogswell, a California dentist with a flair for the dramatic, this fountain was designed to lure citizens away from alcohol with the promise of chilled water, not artistic elegance.
Cogswell, no trained sculptor, dreamed up a structure topped with a stork, flanked by dolphins, and inscribed with moral virtues. Its copper cups dangled for thirsty passersby, while dogs lapped up the runoff below. Congress gave its blessing, but the city’s enthusiasm soon fizzled—ice went unreplaced, water ran dry, and critics sharpened their pens.
Despite being called “a monstrosity of art” and surviving multiple attempts at removal, the fountain endures, now protected as a historic site. In a city of polished monuments, it’s a stubborn oddity—a reminder that not every public gesture ages gracefully, but some simply refuse to disappear.
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