The James Scott Memorial Fountain is a monument in Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Michigan. It was created by architect Cass Gilbert and sculptor Herbert Adams. The fountain was completed in 1925 and cost $500,000 to build. The bottom part of the fountain has a diameter of 510 feet (160 meters), and the water spray in the center reaches 125 feet (38 meters). The fountain honors James Scott, a controversial person who gave $200,000 to the City of Detroit to build a fountain in his memory.
History
Scott inherited a large amount of money from his father, who had invested in real estate in Detroit. People who knew him at the time said he enjoyed gambling and told stories that were considered inappropriate. A twentieth-century author, W. Hawkins Ferry, described Scott as an angry and mean person who disliked others and tried to frighten his business rivals. When these efforts failed, Scott took legal action against them. Because of his behavior, Scott died in 1910 without any family members or close friends. In his will, he left his money to the City of Detroit, with the condition that a life-sized bronze statue of him be placed in a fountain. Some accounts say the will also required the statue to be at the fountain’s highest point.
Some community and religious leaders, including Bishop Charles D. Williams, argued against accepting the gift, stating that a person with Scott’s reputation should not be honored in the city. Mayor Philip Breitmeyer and City Council President David Heineman supported accepting the donation, believing the city should not refuse such a generous offer.
As the debate continued, Scott’s wealth increased, reaching over $1 million by the time construction of the fountain began.
Since 2018, the Detroit Grand Prix INDYCAR race has used the fountain as the background for its podium. Drivers are known to jump into the fountain after winning a race.
Design
The monument is located in Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. It was designed by architect Cass Gilbert and sculptor Herbert Adams. The marble fountain was completed in 1925 and cost $500,000. The lower bowl of the fountain has a diameter of 510 feet (160 meters), and the central water spray reaches 125 feet (38 meters) high. In the final design, Scott's statue was placed in a hidden location behind the fountain.
Film appearances
A famous scene from the 1973 drama Scarecrow, starring Gene Hackman and Al Pacino, was filmed at this location. In the scene, after learning about the death of his son (though the mother lied about it), Pacino's character, Francis Lionel "Lion" Delbuchi, plays happily with a group of children. Later, when he discovers an important emotional truth, he takes one of the children and begins climbing the fountain. After this event, he is hospitalized and unable to speak or move.
The fountain also appears briefly in Anthony Mann's 1947 film noir T-Men, which was photographed by John Alton. Early in the film, two Treasury Agents preparing to go undercover talk about criminal gangs in Detroit while standing in front of the fountain.
Gallery
- How the scene looks on a postcard
- A close-up view of one of the lion statues on the fountain
- A close-up of one of the eight small pools in the lower part of the basin
- The lower basin
- Sixteen carvings show what life was like in Detroit long ago
- The Belle Isle Casino appears in the background of a dry James Scott Memorial Fountain