Tivoli Fountain

This magnificent fountain, 50 feet in diameter, features an outer ring of 540 jets, which create the main umbrella of water, and two inner rings with vertical spray jets rising out of large, tulip-shaped copper tubs. The most striking feature of the fountain is the central spout that shoots water 25 feet into the air. The sprays rise and fall together, creating five different water displays while circulating 600 gallons of water per minute.

History

During his visit to Copenhagen, Denmark in 1949, Peter G. Schmidt was inspired by a spectacular fountain design and wanted to add it to the Capitol Campus. It turned out that the fountain was a copy of one located in Tivoli, Italy, a town about 16 miles east of Rome that contains some of the finest surviving examples of an Italian Renaissance garden.

Danish designer Fritz Meyer duplicated a large Tivoli Garden fountain for the park in Copenhagen, which was named Tivoli due to the addition of the replica fountain. Schmidt felt that the Capitol Campus landscape lacked a main attraction and thought a replica of this impressive Roman-style fountain was the ideal piece.

Schmidt purchased most of the essential parts for the fountain before returning home to Olympia, where his fellow Olympia-Tumwater Foundation members enthusiastically accepted the idea for the fountain’s construction. The foundation gifted the fountain to the State of Washington, and it was accepted by the legislature on February 1, 1951.  

The fountain's construction began soon after the legislature’s approval. Meyer helped by manufacturing and shipping specially designed parts from Denmark to Olympia. Architects from Wohleb, Wohleb, and Bennett oversaw the project. The fountain was completed on April 15, 1953, when Governor Arthur B. Langlie accepted the gift on behalf of the state.

Inscriptions

Replica of the Tivoli Fountain
Tivoli Park, Copenhagen, Denmark
Presented to the State of Washington by Olympia-Tumwater Foundation
Peter G. Schmidt, President
1953