A Wallace Fountain in Westwood?

While living in Paris as a part of my study abroad program, one of the classes was designed around visiting the city and learning about architecture, history, and general popular culture to get a more meaningful, immersive experience living as a "visiting Parisian." One of the things we ran into and learned about throughout this class was The Wallace Fountains a series of operational fountains scattered throughout Paris that provide Parisians clean drinking water.

History of Wallace Fountains

From 1870-1871, during the Franco-Prussian War, a Siege of Paris took place, leaving the city without basic necessities for about a year. During this time, Parisians turned to unconventional foods such as donkeys, elephants, camels, dogs, and horses to survive as traditional foods were scarce. Paris was left in impoverished conditions when the siege ended in 1871 due to the Prussian bombardment and internal unrest.

Sir Richard Wallace, an Englishman, commissioned the Wallace Fountains to be constructed between 1872-1873 to provide working-class Parisians access to clean drinking water during hard times. Although Wallace was born in Britain, he moved to Paris at a young age. He became an affluent member of the philanthropic community, making artistic contributions all over Paris. These ties to Paris led Wallace to donate ambulances during the siege and construct over 50 operational fountains that provided clean drinking water after the siege.

Above is a picture of two typical Wallace Fountains. The fountains themselves were inspired by the model of drinking fountains that London championed at the time. However, in London, the fountains were created to combat rampant alcoholism and poverty.

Janss Investment Company

If you are reading this, especially if you go to UCLA, you may have heard of the name "Janns" before at some point in time. The Janns investment company was founded by Peter Janss in 1895 and later run by his descendants. They are responsible for selling a ton of land to UCLA for an under-market price and contributing to the development of the Westwood Village area as a commercial hub near UCLA.

Before I go any further, it is essential to acknowledge that the Janns Investment Company practiced discriminatory behavior and should not be glorified. The Janns investment company had a strong belief in discriminating against non-white renters and people seeking to purchase property in the area. Here is an excerpt from Janss Investment Co. v. Walden, which upheld that the racial covenants were lawful, which may help to understand their discriminatory beliefs.

No part of said real property shall ever be leased, rented, sold, or conveyed to any person who is not of the white or Caucasian race, nor be used or occupied by any person who is not of the white or the Caucasian race, whether grantee hereunder or any other person;

Back to the purpose of this blog, the Janns investment company owns the building currently occupied by Broxton Brewery, which is called the Janns Investment Company Dome Building.

Acquisition of Wallace Fountain

Elliot and Michael Lewis are another group of landowners that are prominent in the Westwood area. When Elliot Lewis and his wife Penny Lewis traveled in the French Riviera, they ran into a Wallace Fountain outside an antique store. They purchased the fountain and sent it back to California, placing it in front of the Janns Investment Company Dome Building to give back to the community.

The fountain was constructed in 1872 by Charles Le Bourg, the original sculptor of most of the Wallace Fountains. Today, the authentic Wallace Fountain still stands in Westwood Village and is one of two Wallace Fountains in the United States.