ID#:
KHP 181
Artist:
Yandell, Enid
Title:
Ruff Memorial Fountain/Wheelmen's Bench
Date:
1897
Medium:
Stone/Metal
Material:
Stone, Bronze
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Working to make a name for herself in a predominantly male occupation, sculptor Enid Yandell often returned to her home of Louisville to search out potential commissions. One of her first completed works for the city was Ruff Memorial Fountain and Wheelman's Bench, a two-part project located at Third Street and Southern Parkway. Both the fountain and bench were commissioned by the Kentucky Division of the League of American Wheelmen, known today as the League of American Bicyclists, to honor the life of member A. D. Ruff.
While the Fountain no longer exists, we know from contemporary photos and the artist's scrapbooks that it was comprised of a simple stone basin approximately five feet high. Water flowed from the mouths of three heads that may have represented Neptune, the Roman god of the sea. The creation of the sculpture group coincided with a ceremony on October 8, 1897, that celebrated the recent completion of a paved bicycle path that began downtown at Third Street and Broadway and ran along Southern Parkway ending at the Iroquois Cycling Club. Today, a water fountain for pedestrians, cyclists, and park-goers stands in the place of Yandell's original fountain. (KTF)
While the Fountain no longer exists, we know from contemporary photos and the artist's scrapbooks that it was comprised of a simple stone basin approximately five feet high. Water flowed from the mouths of three heads that may have represented Neptune, the Roman god of the sea. The creation of the sculpture group coincided with a ceremony on October 8, 1897, that celebrated the recent completion of a paved bicycle path that began downtown at Third Street and Broadway and ran along Southern Parkway ending at the Iroquois Cycling Club. Today, a water fountain for pedestrians, cyclists, and park-goers stands in the place of Yandell's original fountain. (KTF)
Click to Enlarge
Right Side View
Front View
Detail Front
Detail of Inscription
Left Side View
Wheelman's Bench Historical Marker
Wheelman's Bench and Ruff Memorial Fountain, c. 1898
Right Side View
Front View
Detail Front
Detail of Inscription
Left Side View
Wheelman's Bench Historical Marker
Wheelman's Bench and Ruff Memorial Fountain, c. 1898