Many have called the hulking Brutalist fountain at Embarcardero Plaza “maligned” and even “ugly,” but artist Armand Vaillancourt’s sculptural work still has many ardent fans who will not be pleased by the lastest move by SF Rec & Parks to remove it in short order.
It’s been two months since San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department submitted its formal request to have the Vaillancourt Fountain removed, seeking the SF Arts Commission’s approval for deaccession of the artwork for various reasons, including public safety. The department says that the fountain, which has fallen into disrepair and has reported structural integrity issues, should be removed in part because the cost to restore it is prohibitive — and plans still taking shape to reimagine Embarcadero Plaza and the adjacent Sue Bierman Park do not include the fountain in their designs.
Since then, a battle has been brewing between preservationists, art historians, skateboarders, and 96-year-old Vaillancourt himself, on one side, and city officials and fountain detractors on the other side, a battle which threatens to slow or even derail the city’s plans for a grand renovation of the two plazas…