Orian Sterne Fountain

"Orian Sterne Fountain"; white stone square tall column with vertical ribs and egg-shaped ornament at top, with small round pool at base, sunken into ground; pool in front is about 3 feet deep and 76" in diamter, with interior painted light blue, and jet for propelling water into the air; flanking column to either side are 2 long curved benches made from same stone; column behind is narrow, and supposedly made from "Del Norte (Colorado) Lava Stone"; small lion figure at bottom of column, with water spouting from it's mouth, into the pool; "Greek Key" design carved into base of column; flowers carved at top of column, just below the egg ornament; egg ornament has oval crown cartouche at front of the face, with brightly-colored mosaic tiles with a figure in the center; top of column has "Orian Sterne Fountain" chiseled into the stone; along the base of the benches is chiseled: "Praised Be My Lord For Our Sister Water Who Is Very Serviceable [?] Unto Us, And Humble And Precious And Clean"; sculpted by Ernest Eddler, architect J.B. Benedict, in 1924; see Accession File for more information, including color photographic images of monument.

According to photocopied newspaper articles in museum records, the monument was "erected by Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Sterne at the Littleton Public Library, in honor of their daughter, Miss Orian Sterne, will be dedicated Sunday afternoon, October 12, 1924 at 3:00 p.m. The memorial for Miss Sterne, who passed away December 31, 1923 will be dedicated on the twentieth anniversary of her birth."

When the library building became the Littleton Police headquarters in the 1960s, the fountain was moved to the east end of Bowles Avenue and placed in the traffic "round-about" where Bowles, Rapp Street and Main converge near the Masonic Temple. In 1988 it was installed in the War Memorial Rose Garden at Bemis Street and West Shepperd Avenue where it stands very near the original site of the Lyndhurst home of the Shepperds and the Sternes. It faces east toward Sterne Park, named for Miss Sterne's father.

Owner/maintenance authority: Littleton Museum/City of Littleton