Vaillancourt Fountain, Modernist fountain at Embarcadero Plaza, San Francisco, United States

The Vaillancourt Fountain was a roughly 40-foot-high (12 m) structure of precast concrete square tubes, about 700 short tons in weight, set in an irregular pentagonal pool. Square pillars formed a semicircle inside the pool, crisscrossing from the plaza corner, with two stair bridges and pool-level platforms letting people walk among the tubes and behind the falling water.

The work was completed in 1971 as part of the Embarcadero Plaza development. It was designed as a response to the urban infrastructure of that era, particularly the elevated freeway structure that once dominated the waterfront area.

The fountain's alternate name, "Québec libre!", comes from the slogan Armand Vaillancourt painted on it at the 1971 dedication, and again after city workers erased it. He called the act a statement of support for Quebec sovereignty and for the emancipation of all peoples. In the 1980s and 1990s the plaza's concrete wall drew local skateboarders, with the fountain above as their meeting point.

The fountain is being disassembled and removed from Embarcadero Plaza, with work begun in April 2026 and the structure stored for up to three years. Expect fencing and construction activity rather than a working fountain. The site is at Market Street and The Embarcadero, across from the Ferry Building.

In 1987, the fountain became the site of an unexpected moment when the U2 frontman left a message on its surface, an incident that briefly captured public attention. This occurrence became part of the location's story in local memory.