The Brewer Fountain

By Daderot - Own work, Public Domain, Link

The well chiseled sea nymphs and Parisian god statues existed for a good number of years in which eventually their glory has been subjected to become just a simple hangout for pigeons. The only time that the bronze statues would be spurting out some water was when the rain pours.

The inglorious destiny of the Brewer Fountain which is about 141 years old, has irritated the city officials for quite a long time now and those who have admired it then stayed with its passing grace in the northeastern part of the Boston Common.

Now after being able to raise money for years since the fountain going dry since 2003, the oldest fountain of the city is set to go through some major renovation. However, it surely comes with a very luxurious cost – too hard for a city who is overcoming some financial strains. The proposed budget for the said renovation now reaches about $630,000 which could still go up depending on what the contractors would still find to repair in the process. Half of the amount of the needed money will be donated by the city coffers and the rest of it is expected to be sponsored by the government and other private sponsors.

The renovation of the fountain is deemed to be highly important for everyone sees this as an initial step to bring back the once amazing attraction and interesting amenities that make up the edge of the park. This Brewer Fountain is the only perceived surviving replica of the original highlighted during the 1855 Paris World Fair. It was imported by Gardner Brewer, a rich merchant from Switzerland who assembled it at the Common in 1868.

The first repair efforts for the 22-foot high fountain began about ten years ago when workers unraveled superb damages of the fountain’s pipes and see to it the repair project would really amount to a big cost. The fountain pumped out water only until 2003.

From that time, a lot of private parties acted as donors to support the renovation project of the fountain and the city officials have tried to raise money by asking some grants from the government. However, the city just treated it like a plain, old sculpture and just let it be grown with flower and other ornamental plants.

The City Council may have done its part already in raising the amount but the officials said that they still need to come up with thousands more since the costs of materials have all along increased. According to Mayor Menino, it is just right that the fountain be renovated for it is capable of adding aesthetic value to the city. It makes the city more alive and a lot of people demand for the presence of the fountain.

Truly, more positive outlook and activity is needed to accomplish this goal. The city is supposed to take care of 21 fountains and the Brewer fountain remains to be one of the major four fountains which are currently not working.