Home Building Center - photo 110


Home Building Center with the "Fountain of the Atoms" - photo MO104 - from the collection taken by John Ott courtesy of his grandson Michael Ott.

Many important building industry companies were represented. They included American Hardware, Anthracite Industries, Crane Co., Flat Metal Manufacturing, Flush-Metal Partition Corp., Hershey Machine and Foundry, International Nickel, Keasbey-Mattison, Tilo Roofing, and Western Pine.

Photo (lower left)
Sculpture: The Fountain of the Atoms
Artist: Waylande Gregory

"The Fountain of the Atoms was made for the 1939 World's Fair. It is comprised of the four elements, earth, air, fire and water, surrounded by eight electrons, 4 male and 4 female, similar to amorini. He described the electrons as, "elemental little savages of boundless electrical energy, dancing to the rhythm of sculptured bolts of lightning-like flashes in brilliant colored glazes, their buoyant shaped bodies of richly modeled terracotta clays in warm colors." The four elements were grouped around illuminated tubes of glass which were topped by a flame, and carried water at the top of the fountain. "

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/