This is 99% invisible. I'm Roman Mars.

In 2012, a design group in New York City called Pilot Projects

rolled out a strip of red carpet in Union Square, a public park in the middle of Manhattan.

They hired a flautist and a waiter in a tuxedo who wore white gloves and had a small towel draped

over his forearm.

And one by one one they serve people drinks

drinks of water from the public drinking fountain that's our own Katie Mingle

this design group pilot projects held this event to promote their plan to install a

hundred new drinking fountains in New York City, but not just run-of-the-mill

drinking fountains. We're-mill drinking fountains.

We're talking about drinking fountains

that would be designed by artists and designers and architects.

That's Scott Francisco from Pilot Projects.

We really want the drinking f Drink Fountain to be something that people love to use and share with each other and that there's a sense of pride in the fountains too.

Pilot Projects was hoping to put some prestige. There's a sense of pride in the fountains too.

Pilot Projects was hoping to put some prestige back on the drinking

fountain, make it cool again.

I know what you're thinking.

Drinking fountains have never been cool.

No one has ever been like,

Yo, see you at the drinking fountain later.

But you're wrong.

...