Calvert Vaux's cast iron and Beton Coignet Plaza Fountain was constructed in 1873 at Prospect Park (now Grand Army) Plaza, becoming operational in 1874. Vaux equipped his fountain with 24 colored glass windows which lit horizontal and vertical sprays of water with gas light. The fountain remained until 1897 and was replaced with an electrically illuminated fountain. The disk-like structure on the railing in the foreground housed a gaslight and a parabolic mirror, one of dozens arrayed along the fence to illuminate the fountain at night.

• See Image:Calvert Vaux Plaza Fountain 1873.jpg for a view of this fountain looking south.
• See Joe Rigby's interpretation of the Fountain at night.

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