Built of bronze on a base of granite,[2]: 8  the fountain was constructed in 1887 according to a design by Samuel Hannaford.

Built as a drinking fountain for the residents of the surrounding neighborhood of Clifton, it is composed of four separate drinking basins: one each for humans, horses, dogs, and birds.

Measuring 10 feet (3.0 m) high, the fountain is composed of a central column that is crowned with a piece shaped like the cap of a mushroom.

[3] Located along Clifton Avenue near that street's intersection with Woolper Avenue, the Probasco Fountain is a contributing property to the Clifton Avenue Historic District,[2]: 8  which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1980, the fountain itself was added to the Register,[1] along with dozens of other buildings designed by Samuel Hannaford in Cincinnati and other parts of Hamilton County.