Umbrella Girl

Umbrella Girl
Map
Artist
  • Joan Wobst
  • Phil Kientz
Year1996 (1996)
LocationColumbus, Ohio, United States
Coordinates39°56′34″N 82°59′39″W / 39.942706°N 82.994286°W / 39.942706; -82.994286

Umbrella Girl, or The Umbrella Girl Fountain, is a 1996 fountain and sculpture in Schiller Park's Grace Highfield Memorial Garden, in Columbus, Ohio's German Village neighborhood, in the United States.[1] The copper fountain and sandstone pool were designed by Joan Wobst and Phil Kientz, respectively.[2]

History

The current fountain replaced one depicting Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth, installed as a drinking fountain in 1872. This fountain was relocated to a pond during the 1920s, and an umbrella was added. The statue disappeared during the 1950s.[3] Local residents wanted to restore the original fountain and sculpture, resulting in the installation of the current structure in 1996.[2][4] Every year, for the December holiday season, an anonymous member of the community drapes the statue in a red cloak.[5][6][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Umbrella Girl". Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Inventory. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Umbrella Girl Fountain; German Village, Columbus, Ohio". Civic Arts Project. Archived from the original on November 4, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  3. ^ Thompson, Erica (October 24, 2018). "Cover: The Umbrella Girl statue in Schiller Park". Columbus Alive. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  4. ^ Darbee, Jeffrey T.; Recchie, Nancy A. (2005). German Columbus. Arcadia Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 9780738533964. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  5. ^ Hamper, Anietra (March 15, 2018). Secret Columbus: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Reedy Press. p. 289. ISBN 9781681061252. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  6. ^ Ghose, Dave (December 8, 2022). "The Red Coat Suspects: Who's Responsible for the Umbrella Girl's Holiday Wardrobe Change?". columbusmonthly.com. ColumbusMonthly. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  7. ^ Dorsey, Collin (December 23, 2025). "Exploring the mystery behind Schiller Park's Umbrella Girl and her red coat". 10tv.com. 10WBNS. Retrieved March 5, 2026.