“Sculpture Garden and Water Park”
Fountain of LifeThe Fountain of Life was designed by artist Jennifer Johnson in coordination with architect Reuel Young, A.I.A. It was built by House of Stone and Fountains and Landscape Enhancements. Artisans whose families have sculpted stone for more than 600 years carved the fountain pieces out of adoquin stone from a quarry near Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Once the individual pieces arrived in the desert, Johnson spent more than a year adorning the fountain with hand cut mosaic tiles and glass. Reflecting the nature and history of the desert, the fountain features three central stone columns surrounded by sculptures of big horn sheep, lizards, tortoises, fishes, shells, wildflowers, birds and other creatures found in the area both now and in the past. The rooster and hen represent the importance of family in both the Anglo and Latino cultures. A Cahuilla basket embedded in the stone pays tribute to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, whose gift of the soft surface enhances safety for children of the desert. Buddy and Beverly Rogers became the fountain's first major donors with a gift that launched the project. The overriding theme found in the fountain's design is the spiral, a symbol of continuous birth and ever-upward rejuvenation, the essence of the process Cathedral City is involved with downtown. The spiral appears in the underlying floor, the large basins, atop the shade structure, in the horns of the bighorn sheep and in the form of the sofa seating area. Not only an artistic achievement, the fountain also represents an engineering feat. The central columns are designed with steel rod irons to withstand seismic events. In fact, each stone piece, anchored to its own concrete pad, is tied to a central reinforced concrete cone that sits on a concrete base five feet deep by 17 ' x 12'. Before transport across the border, each stone piece was individually numbered, to facilitate assembly within the fountain here. The fountain is designed as a recirculating system. Water flows between a 2,000-gallon surge tank and the fountain. The underground tank contains two 5.5 h.p. pumps with a capacity of 450 g.p.m. The pumps process the water through a manifold for distribution among nozzles for 32 separate fountain features. Each nozzle is adjusted for quantity and pressure, which affect the height of the sprays. Another underground vault houses the electrical, plumbing and mechanical equipment. Water filter and bromine treatment systems are designed to keep the water pure and minimize calcium build up that could dull the brilliance of the tiles.
Beautiful fountain and in 100 deg. heat, a refreshing stop.)
I love hearing the water splash of this fountain and the water is clean. It's a relaxing place to visit. It will refresh you and give you energy. Well, anyway it's a fountain of LIFE.
Beautifully decorated, a great stop on a hot day, and a unique and interesting piece of art.
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Fountain of Life
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Wheelchair Accessible
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