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47°34′36.5″N 122°19′13.5″W / 47.576806°N 122.320417°W | |
Location | 3100 Airport Way, Seattle, Washington, United States |
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Type | Statue |
Material | Bronzed |
Height | 10 feet (3.0 m) |
Completion date | 1903 |
Lady Rainier is a public sculpture in Seattle, Washington, United States. The work, consisting of a bronzed statue of a woman holding a glass, was commissioned by the Seattle Brewing & Malting Company (the producers of Rainier Beer) and created in Germany in 1903. It was designed as part of a fountain, with water overflowing from the cup, resembling beer foam. Upon completion, it was placed in a courtyard outside of their facilities in the city's Georgetown neighborhood. Over the next several years, it was relocated multiple times and is today located outside of a former Rainier brewery in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. In 2005, activists in Georgetown proposed relocating the statue to Oxbow Park and restoring it as an active fountain. As of 2019 [update], the relocation had not occurred.
The bronzed statue stands 10 feet (3.0 m) tall and depicts a woman with an outstretched arm holding a glass. [1] [2] As a fountain, the water would have poured out from the cup, resembling beer foam spilling from a glass. [1] The statue currently stands near the north entrance of the old Rainier brewery in SoDo, near Interstate 5 at 3100 Airport Way. [3] [4]
The statue was crafted in Germany and purchased by the Seattle Brewing & Malting Company, the manufacturers of Rainier Beer, who installed it as a fountain in a courtyard in front of their brewery in Georgetown in 1903. [1] In 1904, the statue was featured in an article on the brewery by The Seattle Times, [2] with the newspaper saying that the art piece was "made especially for the Rainier Brewery and imported from Germany (and) is a work of art and would grace any of the city’s parks". [5] In 1912, the brewery was expanded and a machine shop was built on the courtyard, [2] with the company relocating the statue to the top of the building. [1] Over the next several years, the statue was relocated several times, [1] [5] and in 1916, the fountain element was turned off as the company closed due to the enactment of Prohibition in Washington. [5] In the 1930s, following the repeal of Prohibition, production of Rainier Beer resumed at a new location in SoDo. [3] In 1954, [6] the statue was also relocated to this new facility, [1] located 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the old facility. [6] In 1999, this facility was sold by the Stroh Brewery Company (which had acquired the Rainier brand), who donated the statue to the Museum of History & Industry. [1] In the early 2000s, the facility ceased to be an active brewery and began to lease its space to other businesses, [3] including Tully's Coffee, which uses the space as its headquarters. [1] [5] A similar situation occurred with the Georgetown facility, which is also no longer an active Rainier brewery. [3] [4]
In 2005, activists and members of the Georgetown Community Council announced plans to relocate the statue to Oxbow Park in Georgetown, [1] near the Hat 'n' Boots, [7] which was also relocated. [1] The park had been dedicated earlier that year and was planned with the sculpture in mind, with a patch of land set aside to host the piece. [1] Additionally, they planned to restore the piece as a working fountain, with the total cost estimated at $30,000. [1] However the planned relocation has not come to fruition, with The Seattle Times reporting in 2019 that the sculpture was still standing near the old Rainier brewery. [3]