DETROIT – The crown jewel of Detroit’s Belle Isle, the James Scott Memorial Fountain, will be closed through August for repairs.
The Michigan DNR said the closure was caused by a recent mechanical failure that was caused by flooding in the underground tunnel. In mid-July, a failed 4-inch water pipe shut-off valve caused flooding that damaged several newer electrical components related to the fountain’s circulation and filtration system.
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DNR staff were able to pump and dry out the underground mechanical tunnel, and electricians have been working on repairs. The repairs will be delayed because some of the parts are not available for several weeks.
“The James Scott Memorial Fountain is one of the more iconic attractions in the park,” said Thomas Bissett, urban district supervisor for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. “We’re working as quickly as we can to get the fountain back in operation so visitors can enjoy this historic landmark.”
Who was James Scott?
James Scott may just be the most interesting of statues in Detroit -- because he had it built for himself.
Scott was a real estate developer who left his estate ($600,000) to fund the building of a fountain and statue dedicated to himself on Belle Isle -- the James Scott Memorial Fountain -- the crown jewel of Belle Isle.
Scott himself has a complicated reputation in history, some describing him as a troubled socialite and playboy, while some just say he liked to gamble and use his money for some, well, very interesting things, like the time he built a mansion he never meant to occupy just to devalue the neighbor’s lot.
In fact, the Belle Isle Conservancy says legend has it that James Scott was a scoundrel of his day, and the statue of himself that he demanded was strategically placed so that the spray of the fountain would hit him in the face.
Either way, you can’t argue that the fountain is beautiful. Herbert Adams was the sculptor and Cass Gilbert the architect.
It was completed in 1923 and dedicated on May 31, 1925. Scott is seated in a chair looking over the Scott Fountain facing the city.