Ainsley McNeill was at work Wednesday afternoon at Park Padel, the turf courts at Ferry Plaza, when she smelled smoke. She looked up and noticed that Vaillancourt Fountain, the much-debated sculpture being removed from its home of 55 years, had caught fire.
“Well, I didn’t like the smell,” McNeill told Gazetteer SF. “I was, honestly, a little shocked, because it just came out of nowhere. I was surprised that it had caught on fire, because I’ve worked here when they’ve been taking other pieces off, and there’s been no issues.”
Installed in 1971, the 40-foot-tall, 710-ton steel and concrete fountain is the creation of Québécois artist Armand Vaillancourt. San Francisco began removing the brutalist sculpture on April 27, after the city defeated preservationists who argued it had been neglected in court. Skateboarders also held the fountain in high regard, though more as an object to ride than a piece of art.
The fountain’s deconstruction is moving along rapidly. One of its giant concrete tubes removed from its arm showed the thick steel lining inside. An employee working at the site, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to discuss the disassembly, said the fire was caused by a blowtorch being used to separate the fountain’s steel insides.
Trash and debris that had collected inside its tubes over many years ignited, he said. Pigeons have also made the tubes their home, he said, and their nests might’ve added kindling. Workers put the fire out without any assistance from the fire department.
Cranes positioned around the perimeter are ready to lift the giant concrete cubes onto trucks. The pieces will be transported to wherever the San Francisco Arts Commission has agreed to store them for three years until the fountain’s next chapter is decided. A wreath of dusty roses was placed on the protective fence on the outside, likely a tribute left behind by one of the structure’s admirers.
