The renovation of the University of Cincinnati's Old Chemistry building maintains its historic facade inside and out with the preservation of a one-of-a-kind tile fountain from the graduating class of 1921.
The custom-made artwork was manufactured by an artist at Cincinnati's famed Rookwood Pottery Co. Through its icons and symbols, it tells of the story of chemistry through the ages.
Removing the 9-foot-tall tile fountain from the walls of the building where it has stood for the past century required painstaking attention to detail, according to Jordan Tobler, assistant superintendent of the project development and construction company Skanska.
"I wanted to make sure the historic Rookwood tile fountain was handled with the proper care it requires," Tobler said.
A custom tile fountain from 1917 helps tell the story of chemistry across the ages. The senior engineering class of 1921 paid for the fountain as a gift to the university. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
Skanska consulted with experts at the Cincinnati Art Museum and Rookwood Pottery. The company was founded in 1880 by pioneering artist Maria Longworth Storer, who made it into a world-renowned ceramics studio, attracting the attention of famed artists and ceramicists.
But they didn't have to look far to find the perfect tile-preservation expert.
Tony Kalti has years of experience in tile installation, primarily in home kitchens and bathrooms. But he also has removed and reinstalled several other tile fountains and mosaics in relocation projects. And he lives just a mile away from UC's Uptown Campus off Ludlow
"It's not something for amateurs or the weak," Kalti said, only half-joking. "You need a lot of patience and mental toughness."
Kalti did not so much remove the tiles from the building as remove the building from the tiles, working behind the fountain to carefully grind away at the century-old mortar and concrete that held it in place.
"You just pray it doesn't go horribly wrong," he said. "You need to approach the fountain with the utmost care. But the removal also required a lot of violence to get the wall away from the tile."
Slowly and surely, he extricated each unique handcrafted piece, carefully labeling and boxing them for short-term storage until the renovated space was ready for its reinstallation. Once the renovated space was complete, Kalti reassembled the tile artwork with the same attention to detail.
"It was almost like an archaeological dig. It was an exercise in the study of how they built things 100 years ago," he said. "But I couldn't be happier with how it turned out."
Tobler credited Kalti's craftsmanship for a successful reinstallation.
"This fountain is an important part of the university's history," Tobler said. "I'm glad to have been able to contribute to its preservation alongside experienced craftsmen."
UC has several Rookwood vases in its art collection. And two other fountains decorate walls in the UC College of Nursing's Procter Hall on the East Campus. As with Old Chem's fountains, the two at Procter Hall were gifts of students: the College of Nursing graduating classes of 1920 and 1934. And they, too, were relocated after being removed from a dormitory.
The fountains were designed by Cincinnati artist William Purcell McDonald, who spent his career from 1882 until his death in 1931 at Rookwood. His work has graced the walls of museums around the world.
UC President Neville Pinto got a sneak peek at the fountain during a walkthrough at Old Chemistry as construction neared completion. Also pictured are UC Director of Executive Communications John Bach, UC Architect Monika Watkins and UC Senior Director of Projects Phil Mitchell. Photo/Provided
George Stan, head of UC's Department of Chemistry said they are excited about the reinstallation of the Rookwood fountain and its prominent display.
"The fountain is not only a symbol of the long history of the department and the continuity between the past and present of the Old Chemistry building, but also a skillful depiction of the ingenuity and systematic approach required in the pursuit of science," Stan said.
He noted that the fountain represents the innovative spirit of Cincinnati, where UC and Rookwood Pottery both played important roles.
"Not least, I would note that the very technology that was perfected to such beautiful art by Rookwood Pottery has, at its core, chemistry principles," he said.
Longtime UC chemistry Professor William Jensen, who died late last year at age 76, compiled a detailed history of the fountain and the significance of its drawings and symbols. Jensen curated UC's Oesper Collection, which includes antique lab equipment and original chemistry books dating back centuries.
More recently, UC Senior Librarian Ted Baldwin wrote about the fountain for a new book titled "Collecting Art: Reflections on Works at the University of Cincinnati."
The reopening of Old Chem coincides with the Chemistry Department's 150th anniversary at UC. Likewise, the American Chemical Society plans to honor the late UC chemist George Rieveschl, who discovered Benadryl, he said.
"We have a lot of activities planned around the history of chemistry," Baldwin said.
UC's Department of Chemistry has an extensive library of chemistry books, papers and photos. Among them: a signed photo of Marie Curie. But the fountain is special, Baldwin said, because it illustrates the value UC has always placed on arts and sciences.
"So much of the art isn't just about an item on a wall but has a strong connection back to the city and the university," he said. "It brings up a sense of curiosity. What's the story behind this?"
The newly reinstalled fountain has an elaborate interpretive display discussing the significance of the fountain's many symbols, icons and images.
"There are historical displays in other buildings, but the scope of this curated display goes above and beyond," Baldwin said.
UC will host a ribbon-cutting for its newly renovated Old Chemistry building on Sept. 3. The building has new labs in chemistry, engineering and anatomy and physiology along with bird-safe glass, a pollinator garden and energy efficiency, among other features. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
The fountain features a quote from Galileo: "Let us remember please that the search for the constitution of the world is one of the greatest and noblest problems presented by nature."
Baldwin said the fountain's largest tile was inspired by a 1556 woodcut from Georgius Agricola's "De re Metallica," or "On the nature of Metals," which depicts the manufacture of soda ash or sodium carbonate.
There is an illustration called "The Mutual Conversion of the Elements" from English Renaissance occultist Sir Edward Kelley's 1676 Theatre of Terrestrial Astronomy. Kelley claimed to have the power to transmute lead into gold. He was imprisoned by Emperor Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire after failing to produce any.
Another illustration was inspired by an etching called "The Birth of the Philosopher's Stone" from 1689 in the book "Le Triomphe hermetique" or "The Hermetical Triumph." It details a fanciful discussion between the Philosopher's Stone, gold and mercury about transformation and enlightenment.
The fountain features icons representing Aristotle's four elements: earth, water, fire and air.
It references Renaissance alchemist Paracelsus, known as the father of toxicology, who died about 23 years before the birth of William Shakespeare. He introduced chemistry to medicine and is famous for his "Tria Prima" or three primes of alchemy: sulfur, mercury and salt.
The fountain's columns depict English chemist John Dalton's atomic symbols. Dalton introduced atomic theory to chemistry. Dalton was color blind and was one of the first to study this genetic disorder.
The fountain also features iconic images of chemistry apparatus such as the Bunsen spectroscope, the double pan scale and a reproduction of the woodcut of a pelican vessel from German chemist Hieronymus Brunschwig's 1500 book on distillation.
Featured image at top: A historic Rookwood fountain features custom artwork depicting the history of chemistry across the ages. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
