Crews in San Francisco are dismantling one of the city’s most controversial landmarks, the Vaillancourt Fountain, a massive concrete sculpture that has stood along the waterfront for more than 50 years.
Created by Quebec artist Armand Vaillancourt, the abstract brutalist structure has loomed over the site since 1971, drawing both praise and criticism over the decades.
For the artist and his family, the removal is deeply personal. Vaillancourt’s son, Alexis Vaillancourt, said they learned the fountain was not included in renovation plans for the park by chance.
Construction crews begin to dismantle the Vaillancourt Fountain at the Embarcadero Plaza, Monday, April 27, 2026, in San Francisco.
(Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
“My sister lives in California, she sent us one of the articles with the plan, and the fountain wasn’t there,” he said.
Now 96, Armand Vaillancourt considers the piece the most important work of his career. His son said the family had followed the long-running debate over the fountain’s future and had braced for the possibility of its removal, but they say the reality has still been difficult.
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“To see the image of workers drilling.. I saw that before going to sleep a couple of days ago,” Alexis Vaillancourt told Global News. “I took a moment. It was not easy.”
Supporters have long argued the fountain is a bold example of modernist public art, reflecting the futuristic architectural trends of its time. Critics, however, have described it as harsh and out of place on the waterfront.
Despite the divided opinions, the structure became a cultural landmark, hosting punk concerts, attracting skateboarders and even appearing in video games. It was also famously spray-painted by Bono.
City officials say the fountain had deteriorated to the point of becoming a safety risk, with repairs expected to cost millions of dollars.
Jackie Fielder, who serves as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, was blunt in her assessment. “Now this is a pretty ugly fountain, I think everyone can agree on that,” Fielder said.
Following a prolonged legal battle, the city agreed to dismantle rather than demolish the structure.
It will be stored for up to three years while officials explore whether it can be repurposed elsewhere.
