The Tyler Davidson Fountain, also called The Genius of Water, was dedicated in 1871. It is the centerpiece of Fountain Square, at the corner of Fifth and Vine Streets, and the city's symbol.
The fountain is 43 feet tall and cast in bronze on a green granite base. The central figure, the Genius of Water, is nine feet high and weighs two tons. She pours water from hundreds of jets pierced in her outstretched fingers. The panels at the bottom show four uses of water: steam, water-power, navigation and the fisheries.
For more than 130 years it stood in the middle of Fifth Street. In 2006, during a renovation of the square, it was taken away and later put back in a wider space near the north end of the plaza, away from the traffic.