[My SF Past] Lotta's Fountain

[Gloria Lenhart]

Lotta's Fountain has stood here, at the intersection of Market and Kearny Streets since 1875. 

Lotta Crabtree

Lotta Crabtree got her start singing in Gold Rush dance halls as a child.  She went on to become a world-famous actress and multi-millionaire. She donated this fountain to the city when she was still in her twenties and at the height of her fame.  

The Fountain originally offered drinking water for horses and people and became a popular gathering spot  After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, people came here to get news and search for family and friends. A wreath is laid here every April 18 at 5:16 a.m. to commemorate the victims and survivors of the 1906 disaster and celebrate the rebirth of the city.

The fountain is made of cast iron with a bronze finish. The design is based on a lighthouse that was part of one of Lotta's stage sets . Medallions illustrate California's shipping, mining and farming.  A plaque commemorates the cold Christmas Eve in 1910, when Luisa Tettrazini sang for the crowd of over 250,000 gathered here.  

Luisa Tettrazini, Christmas Eve 1910

--
Posted By Gloria Lenhart to My SF Past at 12/07/2011 05:14:00 PM