The Vaillancourt fountain, a massive concrete sculpture that has dominated Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco since the 1970s, is being dismantled after the city voted to replace it with a grassy park. The decision has sparked grief among skateboarders who consider the fountain a landmark of skate culture and architectural heritage.
A Fiery End
In early May, as crews began taking apart the fountain's angled arms, a spark from a torch-cutter ignited debris accumulated in one of its tubes, sending flames and smoke into the air. The fire was quickly extinguished, but it marked a dramatic finale for a structure that once pumped 30,000 gallons of water and had been dormant for a year.
Controversy from the Start
Built in 1971 by artist Armand Vaillancourt, the fountain was the centerpiece of a red-brick plaza that became the epicenter of San Francisco's skateboarding scene in the 1980s and 1990s. Known as EMB (short for Embarcadero), the plaza drew skateboarders worldwide, with the fountain serving as a beacon alongside the Ferry Building.
In recent years, the fountain became a flashpoint for debates about modernist spaces. Property owners and the parks department called it unsafe and an eyesore, while activists, skateboarders, and Vaillancourt argued for its preservation. Despite petitions and community meetings, the San Francisco Arts Commission voted to decommission it, with dismantling costing $4 million for storage and assessment.
Cultural Significance
Lawrence Halprin's plaza and Vaillancourt's fountain were designed together to evoke medieval piazzas and baroque waterworks, encouraging interaction. Skateboarders found the open space, smooth surfaces, and unique configurations ideal for street skating. The fountain's immediate recognizability made it a symbol of San Francisco's skate culture, featured in video games and countless photos.
While some critics labeled the fountain brutalist, art historian Ted Barrow argues it was not: its rough concrete and vermiculated patterns evoked travertine, harmonizing with the late-modernist cityscape. The fountain's textured design invited participation, unlike the banal renderings proposed for the plaza's future, which feature soggy lawns and atomized activities.
The fire on May 6 was quickly extinguished, and the fountain will soon be gone. But the legacy of Embarcadero Plaza lives on in the global skate scenes it inspired. As Barrow writes, "The fire lit by that plaza still burns in our imagination."
