Mar 272001
Financial District
One Bush Plaza
Crown Zellerbach Building
This beautiful and timeless fountain was made in 1959.
It was a creation of artist David Tolerton. Tolerton was born in 1907 and died of natural causes at 93. His father came to the Bay area in 1915 and owned an art gallery on Sutter Street in San Francisco.
Tolerton studied philosophy at Stanford University from 1926 until 1928, then attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where he also taught. He also studied ironworking in France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
His work was almost exclusively in metal, but apparently he spent some time working in abstract sculpture while living in Big Sur.
In addition to two Bay Area fountains, Tolerton’s works are displayed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Denver Museum of Art and the Oakland Museum.
Beautiful .. looks like a piano keyboard..
It’s wonderful and the surroundings look perfect for it!
The fountain looks like a Steinway keyboard to me. It is awesome. The next time I am at the Smithsonian, I will have to look for his works. Love your captures. They are beautiful. genie
I love this fountain! And like Genie, I thought it looks like the keys to a piano. Beautiful photos 😀
We all had the same thought, it looks like piano keys! I love this, it makes me thing of music, and that makes me happy!!