interchange42 said:
Cities near the Mediterranean like Montpellier (Aix-en-Provence is another one with fountains in ever square, and for sure the list goes on…) don't have to deal with the freeze-thaw cycle that we do. It wreaks havoc on fountains, making their upkeep much more expensive here… therefore we have far fewer of them.

However, we do have them, including "one fountain where people can congregate. A big central gathering space." It's called Nathan Phillips Square, and along with the reflecting pool fountains, there are also the new ones that rise out of the square… just like at Yonge Dundas Square.

Still, I know you're looking for something more like the Trevi Fountain, and we don't have that, but there are quite a number of fountains in Toronto nevertheless, including a river at the north side of Bell Trinity Square on Bay Street. Others worth checking out include the (thankfully fixed) salmon fountain at the SkyDome and the trio of fountains at Dundee Place, and there's Berczy Park, Commerce Court, the CNE, Toronto Island, Sherbourne Common, Sugar Beach, Gov't of Canada Bldg North York, Lake Devo, and when they're working again, University Avenue…

…and more, but yes, we could use double, triple or more of what we currently have.

42
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What's with the UT obsession with fountains all of a sudden? FWIW, I have lived in Aix this past year, and the fountains, big and small, are very nice. However, it's not the Rotonde fountain that makes the Cours Mirabeau, but the stately plane trees.

Also, there is no fountain at the Vieux-Port in Marseilles or at the harbour in Cassis because there's already water there. It's the harbour that should be the focus, not a fountain. I vote for the trees.
 
…and here's hoping that Bloor Street's plane trees become stately plane trees over the next several years. Yes, they have the potential of making that stretch through the Yorkville area fantastic in the coming decades…

…but I still get why people want fountains. Who doesn't like splashing water?

42
 
Splashing water and fountains won't do hoot if it wasn't "icing on the cake" for the public space. Case in point - the Salmon Run didn't save the area around the base of CN Tower a horrendous space until proper landscaping and enclosure happened - and the latter is often lacking in Toronto. Plan for the extra, but focus on the basics first - if we have to cut the quality of the landscaping just to get a water feature, then I think the water feature should wait.

Besides, if you don't have the money for it, does one *really* think we can do a stellar job in putting in a high quality water feature that won't break in 5 years time?

AoD
 
There's also that "new" fountain that just opened up at the base of the CN Tower. It's the nicest one in Toronto, in my opinion.
 
^^ If you mean the Salmon Run fountain, yeah, it probably is the nicest fountain in Toronto. It's in a perfect place too, now that we will have an aquarium there.
 
Torontovibe said:
^^ If you mean the Salmon Run fountain, yeah, it probably is the nicest fountain in Toronto. It's in a perfect place too, now that we will have an aquarium there.
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Definitely. When the news of the aquarium's Bremner location was announced, I felt that fountain became more prescient than ever.
 
I would love to see a huge fountain like Buckingham Fountain in Chicago located here.
 
I know its a far cry but ... the fountain in Commerce Court ... they recently renovated it, the only noticeable difference to me, the fountain it self (the water pressure that is) is quite a bit stronger now ... giving it a more prominent look like the one in Chicago.

Also the one in the EX has that grand look ... neither compare to Chicago's but its the same idea.
 
The Commerce Court fountain has always been a favorite of mine. Quite surreal just staring up and gazing at the surrounding skyscrapers, especially at night.
 
Forget these dinky quaint fountains, what we should have is something like Jet d'Eau in Geneva at the foot of Yonge - or better yet at the foot of each of the major NS street/slip along the lake.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Forget these dinky quaint fountains, what we should have is something like Jet d'Eau in Geneva at the foot of Yonge - or better yet at the foot of each of the major NS street/slip along the lake. AoD
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Though it cannot be compared to the Jet d'eau, the fountain on The Esplanade at Berkeley is a real favourite of mine - primarily because you can see it from several blocks away while strolling along The Esplanade. It's a pity the lighting is not working yet this year but the Parks folk are 'working on it".
 
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I was walking down Yonge from College and you can clearly see the lake from there - I imagine a fountain like Jet d'eau would have done wonders connecting people's psyche to the water. I am curious about how big of a splash footprint it has - you could even put it in the middle of the slip and design the public space around it accordingly.

AoD
 
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