Full-tiered fountain returns to park

FLORENCE - The trio is back.

Visitors to Wilson Park may think they've traveled back three decades thanks to a throwback addition to the Wilson Fountain - a third tier.

A renovated fountain was planted in the park Tuesday, a move designers think will update the aesthetic to the mainstay and honor its history.

"It'll be nice to finally see it done," said designer Mike Samford, who began making molds of the former fountain during the summer. "I think the people here will really enjoy it."

The most notable difference in the nearly $30,000 fountain is the top tier for the birdbath section, which marks a return to the three-tiered structure of the original 1932 downtown fountain.

Somewhat of local folk legend, the top tier disappeared in the 1970s. Some say it was weather-related. Others suspect vandals.

Regardless, the new fountain no longer looks aged, as the missing concrete chunks and exposed rebar are things of the past.

The water will remain off this week for minor repairs.

Councilman Dick Jordan, who represents the downtown area, was thrilled with the fountain's completion.

"It's really a compliment to Florence," he said. "I just think it really looks nice. I'm really proud we went in and did it rather than putting in a replica."

City officials originally wanted to buy another fountain to replace it but changed their minds when historians complained it was too different from the original fountain. In 2008, the City Council scrapped a proposal to buy a New York fountain to replace the current one.

Samford, owner of the Design Center in Franklin, Tenn., began work in June by placing rubber molds inside the birdbath tiers of the fountain. The top and bottom tiers are new, while the middle section is recycled and revamped from the previous fountain.

Samford had hoped to unveil the fountain last week but was deterred by scattered rain.

Fountains are undergoing a bit of a resurgence in the downtown area.

In October, the City Council approved a $17,700 contract to replace the fountain outside Legends Steakhouse, at the corner of Mobile and Seminary streets, with a rock waterfall fountain modeled after Wilson Dam.

It will feature a top level with three panels cut like the arches to Wilson Dam, complete with lights on top and a waterfall.

Brian Hughes can be reached at 740-5720 or brian.hughes@TimesDaily.com.