A Legacy Hidden in the Garden

A statue of a nude boy holding a flute and standing on a lily pad surrounded by a greenspace
A black and white photograph of a statue of a nude boy holding a flute and standing on a lily pad
In its original placement, the fountain sat across from a frog statue that would spit water from its mouth into the lily pad on which the boy stands

In the quaint Alumni Garden of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) stands the no longer functioning Clara Baur Memorial Fountain. CCM alumni and faculty dedicated the bronze and granite fountain by Clement Barnhorn in the name of its founder in 1914.

The internationally renowned CCM started with a 31-year-old single German immigrant woman. Clara Baur offered voice and piano lessons in a single studio to young ladies in Cincinnati which she ambitiously named the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1867. Her conservatory merged with later institutions to form one of the top music schools in the nation.

The back of a fountain that reads "Dedicated to Clara Baur by the Students Alumni and Faculty of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music 1914"
A view of the back of the fountain that details its 1914 dedication
The empty base of the fountain
The now empty base of the fountain
A wider view of the Alumni Garden surrounding the fountain seen from behind
Partially seen here is the trash and debris that litter the entrance to the garden
A statue of a nude boy holding a flute and standing on a lily pad
The fountain now stands alone in Alumni Garden, only accessible by going through a building into the courtyard
Post Views: 34
1800s1900sCollege-Conservatory of MusicFountainlocal historymusicsculpturesWomen in history
By art, fall 2023, local history, monuments & statues, PH Wild, University of Cincinnati