Dracena Quarry Park sand play fountain

PIEDMONT, CA

I've written before about how health department requirements to attach drinking fountains to sanitary sewer lines adds unnecessary cost and water waste to a drinking fountain. At this lovely park in Piedmont, California, though,  the water drains right into the sand play area, making drainage water a fabulous ingredient in play:

The water bubbles happily down a line of boulders. And everyone knows that wet sand is way more fun than dry sand! This double-duty fountain saved money, enhances play, and likely keeps all the playing kids well-hydrated!

MIT Drinking Fountain Thesis Link

Last spring, I graduated from MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning with a master's in City Planning. The subject of my master's thesis was, of course, drinking fountains, and their past and future as elements of public space. You can read it here:
https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/99098

It was also featured on my department's homepage, spreading the drinking fountain love.

Fresh Pond "Water for All" Fountain

CAMBRIDGE, MA

One of my favorite drinking fountains is along the walking path at Cambridge, MA's Fresh Pond. Fresh Pond is the water source for the city, and two decorative drinking fountains were commissioned by the Cambridge Arts Council and completed in 2013. These fountains draw attention to the quality of the water source and the intersection of good water with preserved open land.

What I love about this one, designed by artist Laura Baring-Gould, is that it takes a factory-standard drinking fountain as a starting point, and simply caps it with a spectacular bronze bowl. 

Instead of reinventing the wheel, the artist just takes a classic drinking fountain and turns it into something out of the ordinary. Titled, "Water for All," little inhabitants of the pond adorn the bronze cap. This is a great example of how to create special drinking fountains without huge budgets and too much fuss. Artists could be commissioned to do something like this with any existing drinking fountain.

Set of Paris Fountains

PARIS

I spotted this cute pair of drinking fountains in Paris's Jardin des Plantes, just outside of the zoo. The slots of the ground drains emphasize the radiality of the fountains, and they sort of seem to be served up on silver platters.  I like how they have both interior drains, near the spigot, and backup drains on the ground.

Pictured above: my husband, the world's preeminent drinking fountain model.

Of course, in the US, these would have to be installed with another fountain that allows wheelchair access underneath, in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, but here in France they seem to pass!