Pittsburgh Parks
Conservancy News
Contact: Laura Cook,
Mary E. Schenley
Memorial Fountain Gets a Makeover
(OAKLAND
–
Perhaps
best known as the designer of the Lincoln Penny, Brenner’s art was distinct and
fresh because he combined both his natural and educated artistic talents with a
tradesman’s knowledge of cutting and working the design in the metal
itself. A Song to Nature is a significant
Brenner piece because it was his first large-scale public project.
Inspection
of A Song to Nature found corrosion,
staining, and cracks. Because no
major restoration work had been done for 20 years, a wide variety of problems
were identified, including missing bronze elements, stained granite and bronze,
and poorly functioning plumbing.
The inspection report also noted that there was no lighting at night. The
sculpture remained impressive, but by this spring, the fountain’s plumbing no
longer functioned.
The
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is partnering with the City of Pittsburgh Planning
Department’s Division of Public Art, the Department of Public Works, and the
University of Pittsburgh to restore A
Song to Nature. In fact, it was
the University which obtained a professional assessment of the sculpture’s
condition in 2005, when the sculpture suddenly became more visible due to the
creation of Schenley Plaza. The restoration will include repairs, cleaning,
plumbing, paving and landscaping.
Thanks to a recent gift from The Benter Foundation, lighting for the
fountain and plaza will become a reality. “We are thrilled that work has
commenced on the restoration of A Song to
Nature. It is imperative for
Pittsburgh to show the world that we respect and care for our important cultural
and artistic heritage,” says Meg Cheever, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh
Parks Conservancy.
With
repairs to the plumbing just completed, the process of conserving the actual
bronze sculptures of the fountain can get underway this month. Representatives of the art conservation
firm McKay Lodge will be on-site this week to clean and seal the bronzes. Reproductions of missing components will
be installed in October.
In
addition to The Benter Foundation, funds for the restoration project have been
made available by: the City of Pittsburgh through its Allegheny Regional Asset
District funds; The Howard E. and Nell E. Miller Foundation; National Endowment
for the Arts; The H. Glenn Sample Jr. MD Memorial Fund through the
About
the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
The
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is a non-profit organization which works to improve
quality of life for the people of Pittsburgh by restoring the park system to
excellence in partnership with the City.
Park restoration efforts are conducted with environmental sensitivity,
respect for historic landscape design, and consideration of today’s recreational
needs. For more information about the Parks Conservancy, visit www.pittsburghparks.org. To learn more about Schenley Plaza and
its programs, visit www.schenleyplaza.org.
For
more information, please contact the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy at
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Pittsburgh Parks
Conservancy News
Contact: Laura Cook,
Quick Facts about
Mary Schenley Fountain
- The design of
the Mary E. Schenley Memorial Fountain was awarded to sculptor Victor David
Brenner after a much-publicized design competition that began in 1913.
Brenner, a successful medallionist, designed the Lincoln Penny, which at one
hundred billion impressions is perhaps the most reproduced work of art in the
history of the world.
- Mary E. Schenley
Memorial Fountain was dedicated on Labor Day, 1918. Evening festivities drew a
crowd of 4,000. Earlier that day, the Pirates completed a double-header with
the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field just a few hundred feet away.
- A Song to Nature faces Schenley Plaza, the grand
entrance to Schenley Park. Managed by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy,
the Plaza includes the grounds in front of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
and the Frick Fine Arts Building, where the Mary Schenley Fountain is located.
The Plaza recently underwent a restoration that transformed the space from a
parking lot into a public green space, its original use more than 100 years
ago. Among the many amenities
offered at the Plaza are free internet wireless service, a one-acre lawn and
large tent, the
- Victor Brenner,
born in 1871, and Michael Brenner (father of Joseph Brenner), born in 1885,
were Jews from Lithuania (then a part of Russia). Victor, who learned die
cutting and tombstone carving from his father, fled conscription into the
Russian army and landed in New York in 1890. Saving money he earned in the
Lower East Side jewelry trade, Victor sponsored his entire family’s emigration
to New York in 1895, including Michael, who soon manifested artistic ability
himself and studied at the Art Student’s League; Miriam, a pianist and
instructor; Samuel, who became a successful Bronx-based architect; and Morris,
a silversmith. Samuel’s son Daniel, also an architect, later collaborated with Mies Van der Rohe in
Chicago.
- In 1898, Victor
went to Paris to study at the Académie Julian and with France’s noted
medallionist, Louis-Oscar Roty.
Victor returned to New York in 1906 to become a successful medallionist
and public artist in his own right.
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