Construction Contractor Chosen
Happy New Year to you! We hope 2026 is a year we each get to fulfill our long-term goals. One of ours, as you know, is to complete the restoration of the Butler-Perozzi Fountain. With that in mind, here’s an update on what’s been happening since our last letter to you.
You may recall that the estimates to restore the fountain and surrounding area came in at nearly double the amount raised during the fundraising campaign undertaken by the Ashland Parks Foundation.
A small group of local citizens (builders, architects, planners) got together to form a Steering Committee dedicated to renovating the fountain within the budget previously created. The Construction Steering Committee also consulted with local experts to determine how to get the work done in a cost-effective manner.
One of the things we learned during those discussions, was that when the fountain was originally made in Italy for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, it was most likely made to be temporary. George Kramer, local historian and historic preservation specialist, shared with us that the marble used for the fountain was likely of inferior quality, hence the reason why it has not withstood our weather conditions well.
When the fountain was last restored in the 1980s, many pieces had to be recreated, including the boy and goose at the top, the top pedestal and both bowls. The fountain that currently sits on this site contains only some of the original parts.
With these facts in mind, the Ashland Parks Foundation, upon the recommendation of our Construction Steering Committee and the support of our plan from the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), is having an exact replica of the fountain made, using marble quarried in Vermont. This should ensure that the fountain will last for centuries in our Southern Oregon climate. Two local sculptors (Jack Langford and Kevin Christman) will be carving the new fountain in their Phoenix, OR studio and our expectations are that this replicated fountain will last decades longer than any restoration of the current 100-year-old fountain.
In addition, Outlier Construction, a reputable local company that is well known throughout the valley, will be in charge of all the construction work on site: electrical and plumbing systems, concrete and other site work that needs to be done. This project will be a total reconstruction of the entire facility in honor of the beauty of the original fountain, terrace and stairs.
Our goal is to begin on or about March 1, 2026 (weather permitting) and to have the project completed by the fall of this year. All of this work will be done with the funds we’ve raised, THANKS TO YOU!. We intend to spend the $800k raised for this project in our local Southern Oregon community. And upon completion, we will have a beautiful, long-lasting marble fountain and a site worthy of its splendor.
While this direction is slightly different from what we originally anticipated, we are confident that this is the best path forward for the fountain, Lithia Park, and our community.
Thank you for your support and your trust. We are so very grateful to all of you.