The original Ellipse fountain designed by Beatrix Farrand was a single jet of water in the center of a circular island. Following the construction of the Pre-Columbian Galleries in 1963, a Provençal fountain located on that site was moved to the Ellipse (undergoing its own transformation) to replace Farrand’s fountain. The fountain was purchased by the Blisses from Parisian art dealer Paul Gouvert for 60,000 francs (the equivalent of about $2,300, or $35,000 in today’s currency) in 1927. Ruth Havey designed a basin for the fountain in 1966 before it was installed in 1967. The fountain was altered to be recirculating as part of the 2015 hydrology project, saving thousands of gallons of water each year.
Image: Ruth Havey, likely 1966