Tuesday, March 15, 2022

The Devolution of the Fountain

We know the Venus fountain that was installed in the Public Square in 1883 was replaced by "Inspiration Fountain" in 1975.

Evelyn & Robert Monthie Collection|Columbia County Historical Society
PhotobyGibson.com

Gossips recently discovered or received two photos that show there was an intermediate step--when the pedestal and top pan of the fountain were removed, the bottom pan was filled with soil, and Venus statue was repositioned on the ground. These two pictures, from 1958 and 1959 respectively, show the Venus statue at the center of the park after the fountain had been eliminated.

History Room Collection|Hudson Area Library


Photo courtesy Robert Tomaso
When "Inspiration Fountain" was created in 1975, Venus was relegated to the northwest corner of the park, where the statue suffered a series of indignities. In 1998, the statue was removed from the park altogether. It is now in storage in a DPW garage.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CAROLE OSTERINK

4 comments:

  1. Very good photographs, nice post, Carole and thanks to the sender. Lets hope that now with FOPS we can get a plan for park with the fountain restored and as a centerpiece. As I recall, when the statue was left at the corner of the park derelict, it had an arm broken off.

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  2. The statue is made of lead so the repair would be very possible. Whether or not people would want it to be repaired it’s a different matter, a new base would have to be purchased.

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  3. Thanks Carole
    Zinc is also easy (for a professional) to work with.

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