Column by John Warren
There were two barn burner announcements made at Old First Night on Aug. 14, 1945.
One was the Japanese surrender, which led one OFN speaker to wonder whether “somebody must have cabled Hirohito to send the supreme gift to Chautauqua’s birthday party — peace.”
On any other OFN, the runner-up announcement would have been the headline. President Ralph Norton announced in a heartfelt manner the creation of what would be known as Bestor Plaza, in memory of his friend Arthur Bestor, Chautauqua’s president from 1915 to 1944.
The Daily wrote Bestor was the natural namesake for the rectangular green bordered by the Smith Memorial Library, Colonnade and Post Office.
“He had the happy but rare faculty of inspiring friendships which invariably deepened into love,” an editorial read. “He was the most familiar figure on the Plaza, where he delighted to meet and chat with Chautauqua people. His spirit pervaded Chautauqua while he was its leader; and it pervades Chautauqua today.”
Norton was an industrialist who led the Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees and stepped in as president for two years after Bestor’s death. He said the Plaza had been his dream since he first saw the expanse of dirt and scattered tables in front of the Post Office in the early 1900s.
Bestor’s Plaza would include the new Refectory (now Brick Walk Cafe), an extension of the Brick Walk and the demolition of a dilapidated Pergola.
But the centerpiece would be the “great fountain” in its middle.
It is difficult for even a lifelong Chautauquan to imagine a time before the four-fishes fountain, the iconic backdrop for generations of photos stretching from Kodak 35 mm cameras through iPhone 17s – the fountain into which wishful coins are tossed, children are admonished to dismount the fish and no one speaks of forbidden traditions involving dish detergent.
For the fountain project, Norton turned to a renowned sculptor, Fred Torrey. Torrey was an Illinois-based sculptor of some renown, specializing in historic figures including Stephen A. Douglas and George Washington. He carved four statues of Abraham Lincoln, including “Lincoln Walks at Midnight” and “Lincoln and Tad,” which required 6,000 pounds of clay.
Torrey came to be known as “Chautauqua’s sculptor.” Norton had worked with him previously, on Norton Hall (which his family funded) in the 1920s. Torrey was responsible for the pilasters on Norton Hall that evoke tragedy, music, literature and comedy. With his wife, he also designed the small Norton-funded fountain of a boy and girl in front of the post office.
For the Bestor Plaza fountain, Torrey borrowed a similar theme to Norton Hall. The fountain would have a center tower representing the arts and sciences. He carved Grecian figures in flowing robes on each side of the obelisk’s four sides, representing the Chautauquan ideals of knowledge, religion, art and music.
What was the meaning behind the four water-spewing fish? That’s lost to history, though fish can represent life, nourishment and renewal in Christian symbolism.
In time for the 1946 Season, 80 years ago, the Plaza with its grand fountain was opened.
Of the new fountain, the Daily proclaimed: “It is in perfect scale; it is unobstensibly beautiful. Illuminated at night, it gleams with soft, white, faceted light. It is best seen, perhaps, from the windows on the second floor of the Colonnade building or from the second floor of the library.”
In years gone by, the fountain was known as “the Torrey Fountain,” though it’s known today simply by its association with Bestor Plaza.
Many of you will recall the fountain underwent a major restoration in 2024, during which conservators used Torrey’s original blueprints to preserve his design.
A review of those original blueprints, and the fact a benefactor is not found in any other records, lends credence to a secret Norton didn’t share. He paid out of his own pocket for the tribute to his friend.
John Warren’s family landed in Chautauqua in 1956. Reach him at chqhistoriographical@gmail.com.
