Its site was occupied by a fountain known as the Fontaine Richelieu until 1838, when it was demolished due to interfering with traffic flow. Joseph Régnier, a member of the Comédie-Française, suggested a new fountain set back slightly from the previous fountain's site as a monument to the playwright Molière. This was France's first national public subscription for a commemorative monument dedicated to a non-military figure. Built in 1844, the fountain was designed by several sculptors, headed by the architect Louis Visconti, who also designed the fountain in the Place Saint-Sulpice.
The main bronze sculpture, showing Molière seated under a portico under an imposing arch, is by Bernard-Gabriel Seurre and cast by the fonderie Eck et Durand. Under him is an inscription flanked by two marble female sculptures by Jean-Jacques Pradier, Serious Comedy and Light Comedy; each holds a scroll listing Molière's works. Right at the bottom are lion masks, from which the water pours into a semi-circular basin. A commemorative medal for the fountain's inauguration was designed by François Augustin Caunois in 1844; an example of it is in the Musée Carnavalet.
