Broadway Fountain (Case Study Sample)

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The Broadway Fountain
The Broadway fountain was planned by Andre Victor, a French sculptor who was working for Janes at Kirtland Iron Company of Morrisiana in New York. During its prime, the company, which is recognized with creation, design, and placement of the Dome Capital in Washington, was among the state’s key foundries. The fountain uniquely appeared in the company directory, and it is branded No. 5. Some studies have indicated that the neo-classical design by Andre was motivated by the prominent fountain in Place-de-la-Concord situated in Paris, or by the one displayed at the Crystal fortress in London in 1851 (Schwartz, 2009). The fountain is of a considerable size of 26.6 feet high, and 35.6 feet wide with a reflecting pool and 2 basins. The basin at the top is characterized by a maiden, while the second basin is comprised of two large birds. The bottom of the fountain is bordered by four horn-blowing tritons. Numerous ornamental pots sit are placed alongside the pinnacle partition of the reflecting pool.
It has not always belonged to the Madison despite the belief that it is a local landmark. It first emerged in Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876, where it was displayed in the Agricultural Nave. It came to polish the Broadway Street of Madison in 1886 following a purchase by an organization referred to as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. As organization bought the fountain, many years following the Exposition closed. A fraternal organization, the Odd Fellows dates its history to 1745 when the first lodge was built in London. The organization created groups in North America in 1819. Its objective is to offer mutual help to its members and is aimed at improving the society as it is a social one with different degrees and rituals (Jorgensen, 2012).
Several signs are agents of the organization. The famous symbol is like an eye in the center and three links. The eye stands for the all-knowing eye of the globe. The links stand for truth, friendship, and love. This symbol is seen on the base beneath every triton on the fountain. Presented to Madison by the Independent Order of Fellows, the Broadway was saved two times from a disgraceful end by the Valley City dwellers. In 1949, they collected funds to repair the cast fountain after a mayor called for a replacement. The West, Broadway, and the Main streets were either supposed to have the fountain, and following some dialogue, Broadway was preferred. An esplanade that was meant for the fountain was designed in the center of the street. According to the reports by the newspaper, the original fountain devotion festival took place in 1886 and thousands of the residents attended it.
Four replica fountains had been constructed by the JKI Company and distributed to the sections of the United States at the time the fountain emerged in Madison. Until today, three fountains are established in Savannah, Poughkeepsie, and Cuzco. The fountain of Savannah is located at the Forsyth Park, that is where it was built in 1858 (Grissom, 2009). It is believed to be the central point of the park, as it is the biggest of the 22 historic squares in Savannah, and has been used in several movies including the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The fountain was completely refurbished in 1988.
The fountain of Poughkeepsie is also referred to as the Soldiers Memorial, and is located in Eastman Park city. It was built in 1870 in remembrance of the soldiers who were killed during the Civil War. However, in 1950, local residents including the city officials were concerned with the state of the fountain as they even contemplated on taking it down as the fountain had deteriorated due to several years of exposure to varios factors and was about to collapse despite being originally built of ornamental iron. A group of community leaders led by Madison Lemen Harry, created a committee and collected funds in an effort to save the fountain. A local banker McCauley Philip led a fund drive following a mayor’s call to repair it again in 1976. Almost 180, 000 dollars were collected and this assisted in restoring the fountain. It was then re-dedicated in 1986, and it is believed to last for decades to come regardless of harmful chemicals in the air, erosion, and acid rain.
Importance of the Fountain
Today, the fountain is one of the outstanding monuments of Madison. According to Mayor Huntington of Madison, the fountain is one of the major centerpieces of the whole community. Currently, it requires renovation as it shown nothing close to the efforts that were put in the 1970’s. According to the parks superintendent Munier Dave, the repair and maintenance that is currently required on the fountain is ahead of the expertise of Madison despite the routine repair and maintenance by the Parks Department. He reiterates that the issue should be tackled by professionals. For guidance on the development, Karkadoulias Mercene, the wife of the late Karkadoulias assists with the repair of the fountain as she currently runs her husband’s bronze art business in Cincinnati (Grissom, 2009). Karkadoulias recommends that her company would offer assistance by completely repairing any pin holes or cracks, clean the whole base of the fountain, and apply an invented protective coating.
Earlier on, Karkadoulias suggested that the fountain would be dismantled and taken to...