Known as one of the most playful and whimsical water fountain is the William Volker Memorial Fountain. It is a memorial to honor William Volker for the various and noteworthy contributions he had instituted for the welfare of the citizens of Kansas City.
William Volker was born near Hanover, Germany on April 1, 1859. He immigrated with his family to Chicago, Illinois in 1871. He studied accounting and bookkeeping and worked as a store clerk and became a trusted employee of a moulding and picture frame company in Chicago. When his employer died suddenly, young William Volker became an adviser to the estate of Charles Brachvogel and managed the business for the family.
Volker soon decided it was time for him to begin his own business. He visited Kansas City, Missouri and saw the beginnings of a bustling city starting to build and expand, likewise a city without a retail moulding and custom frame store. Hence, he decided to open a branch in the city. Since then, the business grew having a net worth of $60,000, up from the initial total investment of $7,000. He married in 1911 at the age of 52, gave his wife $1 million to live on and take care of him in his old age and spent the rest of his life giving his other $10 million away.
He helped establish the Kansas City Transportation and Steamship Company and he also donated a tuberculosis pavilion for the Kansas City General Hospital. On August 29, 1917, William Volker established the William Volker Charitable Fund to further help the needy. He donated heavily to Kansas City causes and charities. Many of his donations were anonymous, earning him the nickname “Mr. Anonymous.”
After his death in November 4, 1947, a memorial was planned to honor him. Similarly, a number of things in the city were named after him, including Volker Park and Volker Boulevard. In keeping with the city’s tradition of fountains, a memorial fountain was designed to be positioned near the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Volker Park.
Carl Milles, a Swedish artist, designed the water fountain using the figure of St. Martin of Tours astride a horse as the central figure. St. Martin was a soldier who on a wintry day, gave half of his cloak to a beggar and later had a dream in which Jesus appeared to him saying that He had been the beggar who received Martin's cloak. The sculpture is named “St. Martin and the Beggar.” Martin symbolizes the generosity of William Volker.
In addition, Milles placed several angels around St. Martin with one of the angels seen playing a flute from the wrong end and another has a wristwatch carved onto him to add a touch of humor. The four angels surrounding St. Martin are mounted on a horse with one angel playing the flute on a pedestal above him and three are placed below him. All figures were above a large reflecting pond in the park directly south of the Nelson Gallery. Fountain jets are contained in two pools on either side and spray water to heights of 5 feet, 20 feet and 28 feet. This fountain was removed to allow for the renovation of Brush Creek and has been replaced next to Volker Boulevard.