Butler-Perozzi Fountain Updates
News and Project Updates
A lot has been happening with the Butler-Perozzi Fountain Restoration Project since we completed the fundraising campaign last fall. As a supporter and donor, we want to share with you the most recent update. But first, let’s make sure the entities involved are understood, because they share similar names:Ashland Parks and Recreation Dept (Parks Dept.)A…
Fundraising Committee members Pat, Meiwen and Diane at the fountain Article: Ashland’s park fountain has been the backdrop for life-changing celebrations since 1916By Janet Eastman – The Oregonian/OregonLive November 14, 2024 All Funds Raised for the Restoration Project With tremendous support from the local community, visitors to Ashland, and statewide foundations and grantors, the Ashland…
Born in Seattle and raised in Olympia, Sam has been a long-time resident of Ashland, arriving in 1964 to attend S.O. College (now SOU). After completing his degree and two years in the military, he returned to the town he loved and began teaching art at Talent Junior High. He retired in 1998. Sam has…
The Business Drive is engaging Ashland businesses in support of the fountain’s restoration. Read about the perks of making a donation under your business.
Patie is the founder of Oregon’s top producing real estate team, the Patie Millen Group. She has elevated her support of the fountain restoration and is asking other businesses to do the same. Read Patie’s impassioned call to be part of this worthy endeavor that will honor those who initiated this beautiful vision for Lithia Park 109 years ago.
Fountain history and campaign Story
The Butler-Perozzi Fountain was given to the City of Ashland by Gwin S. Butler and Domingo Perozzi in 1916. Sculpted in Italy out of Fiori di Peschi marble, the fountain is situated on a dedicated terrace near the sycamore grove across from the Butler Memorial Bandshell.
The fountain was sculpted by Antonio Frilli, who specialized in Belle Epoque subjects and contributed several large statues to Stanford University. He established an art gallery in Florence that still operates today. Butler and Perozzi found his delightful fountain at the 1915 San Francisco Panama-Pacific International Exhibition in San Francisco and purchased it for $3,000, a considerable sum in those days. They brought it to Ashland where a separate concrete foundation was built to house it. A stone staircase was also erected for easy access to Granite Street.
By the late 20th Century, the fountain was obscured by overgrowth, and the sculpture was deteriorating. The Verona marble the fountain is carved from is quite soft (for marble), so especially vulnerable to the elements.
In 1987, the Park’s Planning Director John Fregonese commissioned Ashland sculptor Jeffrey Bernard to restore the sculpture. Bernard had studied in Italy and was able to obtain some Flower of Peach marble to restore the pedestal and statue. He refurbished the original four gargoyles and foliage on the lower bowl of the fountain. The original marble boy and goose atop the fountain were removed and stored at the Public Library, safe from the further deterioration of time and weather. A bronze replica was cast. Water flowed from the goose's spout, and new lighting illuminated the jewel of Lithia Park once more.
It was a massive, years-long effort by the City, many nonprofit groups, and individual contributions from the Ashland community who supported the restoration financially and otherwise.
But time and elements have taken their toll once again. The entire plumbing system needs repair and modernization. The concrete structures that surround the fountain look fine from a distance, but show great wear and tear closeup. Better access to serve the larger community is needed. In 2023 the Ashland Parks Foundation led the effort to raise the funds needed to restore and preserve the beloved Butler-Perozzi Fountain.
The Ashland Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners decided to follow the restoration recommendations provided in a report from Architectural Resources Group. Commissioners also referenced our recommendation (Ashland Parks Foundation) in the direction to staff. The campaign also included a generous maintenance fund to ensure the fountain is properly cared for in the future.
Thanks to our community, the fundraising goal was reached in October 2024.
Together, we will preserve this beautiful jewel of Lithia Park!
If you would like to ensure that the fountain lasts for future generations, the Ashland Parks Foundation is accepting donations to the long-term maintenance fund.
To donate by credit card click on the link below or you can mail a check payable to Ashland Parks Foundation at PO Box 247, Ashland, OR 97520
Donations are tax-deductible in accordance with applicable laws.
“Enjoying the contemplative beauty of the historic Butler-Perozzi Fountain just a few minutes from the hustle and bustle of town is the very definition of public art.”
-Mike Gardiner, APF President
The Restoration Fundraising Steering Committee
Pat Acklin, Diane Garcia, Mike Gardiner, Mark Knox, Jim Lewis, Meiwen Richards, Susan Saladoff, Dale Shostrom, Karen Smith, Sam Whitford