Fountain of the Four Winds

For today’s history lesson let’s talk about this controversial sculpture from 1936. It was built as a WPA project by Enrique Alferez whose work you see all over the city from that time. The controversy stems from the north wind or Boreas; because he is as traditional depicted as male and he’s nude which means naked boy parts. There was a lot of talk of smashing the fountain at the time but Eleanor Roosevelt stepped in and said it was art and it was beautiful so it was saved.
Unfortunately the fountain isn’t really a fountain anymore as it is in desperate need of refurbishment and reconstruction. The sculptures themselves are in pretty decent shape considering they were made out of concrete. But the edging is being knocked over… you can see my photo of the broken Eagle. And of course where the water should be is dry, or at least it was when I was out there today.
If you’re out near the Shushan/​Lakefront Airport, be sure to walk across the grass for a closer look. The fountain is located on a lawn just to the left of the terminal as you’re facing it.