I also got a bunch of emails asking about last Friday’s bonus picture and the origin of the Cohen House fountain. (I’m not sure why people have suddenly become so inquisitive but I like it. Ask away, folks. I might even know the answer to your question. Maybe not, though. Always remember the motto of the Rice History Corner: “Keep expectations low, as usual, and no one will be too disappointed.”)
In any event, this one I can definitely answer. I happen to already have images of the construction of that fountain, which took place after the 1958 addition to the back of the faculty club radically changed the grounds. Mr. Cohen took his usual interest in every aspect of the construction of the new garden and commissioned the glass fountain from French artist Max Ingrand. It was installed in 1960:
Here’s Mr. Cohen with the finished product on a cold day in January, 1961:
Bonus: An earlier fountain was lost in the renovation. I might like this one better. 1938.
Extra Bonus: Thanks, guys.
The glass is Lalique, right?
Well, that I will have to look up.
The earlier one is certainly more appropriate for the architecture.
Fountains at Rice for future reference
Cohen House
Mary Ellen Hale Lovett fountain
Baker Institute/Jones School
Jones School Patio
Alice Pratt Brown Hall – Lummis
Alice Pratt Brown Hall – Winterman
Brockman Hall
Brochstein/Fondren
Duncan Commons
Quite a different skyline in the background today.
Indeed. The building with the red roof is the old Hermann Professional Building. As freshpersons in 1956 we watched the second half of that building going up from the P. E. grounds. It was a mirror image of the first half.
I love seeing the construction photos of the fountain, which has a special place in my heart 8-). My husband and I had our wedding reception at Cohen House in 1977 and our photographer insisted on taking a bunch of photos of us at the fountain. What none of us noticed until we saw the 8×10 prints was that Henry (Hanszen ‘72.5) has a *gigantic* grasshopper on the front of his tux shirt in some of the photos!
[Shoot! I had a copy of one of the pix ready to post but don’t see how to do that? I guess you’ll have to take my word for it about the grasshopper.]
You know what? I’m going to figure out how to enable pictures in the comments. I should have done that a long time ago.
Great! I’ll save the grasshopper photo!
Many years ago I worked in a custom frame shop. I had a customer bring in a large photo of a bride in a lovely gown taken in front of the fountain. It was a lovely scene with the exception of the large garden hose which was stretched all the way across the grass in front of the bride.
I like our grasshopper better! 😎