#benson bubblers

[eopederson2]

“Benson Bubblers,” Portland, Oregon, 2015.

I think I have posted this already, but  a few days ago I learned that the so-called Benson Bubblers are drinking fountains unique to Portland. They are a nice amenity for locals and visitors and a distinctive icon for the city. Would that more cities had clean and functioning water fountains!

[indigo-a-creeping]

One of the iconic Benson Bubblers.

[eopederson2]

Benson Bubblers, Old Town, Portland, 2015.

Portland seems to have a unique design and a unique name for drinking fountains. After extensive travel I have not seen the design or heard the term elsewhere.

[whatchudrinkin]

In 1912, Simon Benson – business magnate, namesake of Portland’s Benson hotel and Benson Polytechnic High School – gave the city of Portland ten thousand dollars to build drinking fountains. He didn’t like the idea of workers drinking alcohol in the middle of the work day. The bubblers remain as a reminder of our city’s past exuberance and wealth. The bubbler on the corner of my street is a bathroom sink. A guy performs his oral hygiene routine every morning in that bowl. There are can collectors who use it to rinse their prizes. Once, a hypodermic needle was stuffed point down in the spout. Some tiny dogs have been seen slurping in that fountain. But I still sip it after a run. The bubbler has become a multifunctional resource.

The water running through those bubblers has been at the center of many public battles this summer. Last month the water in Washington Park tested positive for E. coli. There was a boil water notice. Restaurants had to serve their patrons bottled water. They had to drain an entire reservoir. Now the city is up in arms over fluoride for the fourth time in recent history. The city council is battling some nut jobs over fluoride conspiracies. But also mothers who want a say in their children’s drinking water and health. The Willamette River is the venue of the annual dragon boat races, but it’s still viewed as a toxic waste dump. People fishing in the Columbia River have higher rate of cancer. Water is necessary for transportation. Grain silos on the waterfront shoot out tons of barley and wheat into massive, massive ships. And water is the base ingredient for the two things Portland is best known for: beer and coffee. It’s just water, but it’s a whole lot more.

[annearcelo]

(Taken with http://cinemagr.am)

[kononobunaga-blog]

I wish I was more tech savvy

Because there really needs to be a Benson Bubbler app. Something that will give you directions to the nearest fountain based on your current location.