A Portland Lumber Baron’s Legacy
By John Gorman
“No one has the right to die and not leave something to the public and for the public good.”
—Simon Benson
Needed: midday refreshment for thirsty lumber workers.
It was a thoughtful gesture from a major employer—but it was not exactly popular with local brewers and barkeepers of the time.
By the turn of the twentieth century, Simon Benson had become well known as one of Portland’s most prolific lumber barons, civic leaders and philanthropists. One day in 1912, Benson—himself a teetotaler—was walking the floor of one of his many lumber mills when he noticed the smell of alcohol on workers’ breath.
When asked why they had been drinking beer during the day, the men responded that there were no ready sources of fresh drinking water available. To provide an alternative midday beverage, Benson immediately commissioned 20 elegant, bowl-shaped freshwater drinking fountains, affectionately referred to this day as the “Benson Bubblers.” Beer consumption in the city reportedly decreased 25 percent after the fountains were installed but historians note that this was more likely due to the emerging temperance movement than 20 new drinking fountains.
The first Benson Bubbler was installed with much fanfare at S.W. 5th and Washington Streets—just a few steps from the famous Benson Hotel. The graceful, four-bowl fountain designs were created by A. E. Doyle, noted architect of both the Multnomah County Library and the Meier & Frank Building. By 1917, the city had installed 40 of the fountains throughout the downtown area.
Benson originally had decreed that the Portland water fountains run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but today, they have timers and run freely from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. The common four-bowl models consume less than four gallons of water per minute—and on hot days, they can help refresh an entire metropolitan city.
In 2005, the Portland Water Bureau installed small flow-restriction devices to the Benson Bubblers to reduce their overall water consumption. While they do not alter the physical appearance of the fountains, they have reduced water use 47% while maintaining adequate flow and pressure for drinking. Overall, the Benson Bubblers use less than one-tenth of one percent of Portland’s daily water demand.
“If historical landmarks you seek,
Out in Portland we've something unique:
Benson Bubblers you'll see.
Drinking water flows free
And they're cleaned every day of the week.”
—Susan L.