General Motors Global Tech Center Water Ballet Fountain

Project Overview

The Water Ballet Fountain, situated at the northwest corner of General Motors’ Tech Center in Warren, MI, was designed by the internationally renowned American artist Alexander Calder in 1954. Calder was brother-in-law to the designer of the entire Tech Center campus, Eero Saarinen. What made this fountain unique was Calder’s use of water instead of metal to create a “mobile fountain sculpture.” It consists of 21 jets rising into the air to create water effects with movement and sound. The water jets will cross and fall and also utilize pressure modulation and differing speeds. These changing spray patterns created different motifs, which Calder named Fantails, Seven Sisters, Plops, and Scissors. The fountain pumps approximately 3,600 gallons of water per minute, reaching 40 feet in height. After the completion of this fountain, Calder went on to work on multiple Disney Fountains.

The purpose of this project was to restore the fountain to its original state and preserve its rich history. Ideal Contracting worked in conjunction with the U.A.W. and the design team to design, coordinate, and collaborate on this historical venture. The team met for hundreds of hours to determine the feasibility of the fountain’s components and how to build and install new equipment that would ensure the fountain met GM’s expectations.

Work started in January of 2020 and was completed by August 2024. This was a unique experience as the efforts of General Motors, Ideal Contracting, subcontracting partners, and the UAW all worked alongside each other to reach our end date and expectations.