Temperance Fountain

Temperance Fountain is a granite structure with bronze details, featuring four columns beneath a canopy and topped with a heron statue. The design incorporates carved inscriptions with moral messages throughout its surface.

A dentist named Henry D. Cogswell from San Francisco donated this fountain to Washington D.C. in 1882 as an expression of support for the temperance movement. His donation prompted cities across the United States to establish procedures for evaluating public art gifts.

The fountain takes its name from the temperance movement of the 1800s, which promoted abstinence from alcohol. Visitors can read four virtues carved into its surface, reflecting the moral values people emphasized during that era.

The fountain sits at the corner of Seventh Street and Indiana Avenue downtown, near the National Archives and Navy Memorial. You can find it easily in this busy area where several historic sites and monuments are within walking distance.

Few visitors realize this fountain sparked the creation of art review commissions throughout America. This administrative shift emerged as an unexpected consequence of the donation and showed how a single artwork altered city planning practices.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Inception: 1884

Creator: Henry D. Cogswell

Made from material: granite, bronze

Address: 678 Indiana Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

GPS coordinates: 38.89380,-77.02166

Latest update: December 11, 2025 11:02