The water is flowing once again from Laura Fountain at Applegate Park after a $300,000 restoration project.
City leaders and community supporters unite for a group photo in front of the restored Laura Fountain at Applegate Park in Merced.
Members of the Merced City Council — Shane Smith, Sarah Boyle, Bertha Perez, and Matthew Serratto — are more than pleased with the Laura Fountain project.
Joanne Wigley, the great granddaughter of Laura Kirkland Huffman, the namesake of Laura Fountain, was present on Monday for the reintroduction ceremony.
Mercedians traveling along M Street near Applegate Park this week are almost sure to remark: “Hey look. They turned Laura Fountain back on.”
They sure did. After six long years of dry, emptiness caused by decay and maintenance concerns.
But it’s a new day for the historical monument, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. The water is flowing like never before — springing sweet droplets from high above into a crystal clear pool below.
Laura Fountain and its surrounding rose garden, hasn’t looked this good in ages.
Residents can thank a $300,000 renovation project that was anchored by city government in 2021, and supported by a community fundraising effort to the tune of about $123,000.
City leaders and project supporters cheered the achievement on Monday morning during a ceremony to mark a soft “re-introduction” of the functioning fountain.
“It’s really a symbol of Merced’s history, a symbol of Merced’s beauty, and a symbol of restoration and our taking care of things that were once great,” said Mayor Matthew Serratto. “As we move forward, and as we progress as a city, it’s not just about adding new things, but it’s also about taking care of our history, taking care of what past generations have bequeathed upon us as well.”
The mayor added, “It’s a great day for our city.”
Credit, recognition and kudos go to members of the Merced City Council, present and former members of the city’s top brass, department heads and staff, and Solitude Lake Management which led the restoration effort. Community donors and supporters included Gray Roberts, Matt Bristol, Ron Cook, the Community Foundation, the McCauley family, the Ransom family, the Rich family, the Bandoni family, the Marvulli family, the Lorenzi family, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Native Daughters of the Golden West, and the Merced County Historical Society.
The project included building a solid foundation for the fountain and pool, a new filtration system, a new base of rocks directly underneath the fountain that resembles its original design, and restoration of the fountain’s rim and decorative spouts. City officials said Monday’s event was a soft launch. They expect to have a larger ceremony for the fountain in the spring.
In years past, the fountain and pool have suffered from mistreatment by some park visitors who have thrown discarded items into the pool, or used it for bathing or recreation.
Signs warn visitors not to enter the fountain’s pool, or throw things like coins into it. City staff told the Times the fountain area will be monitored by police patrols, and plans are in place to add more park security cameras.
Laura Fountain was commissioned in 1888 by the city’s founder, Charles Henry Huffman, and named after his wife, Laura Kirkland Huffman. It was first placed near the El Capitan railroad depot, welcoming visitors and travelers to Merced. Its charm soon earned the city the nickname “Fountain City.”
In 1935, Huffman’s son, Jay Walton Huffman, relocated the fountain to Applegate Park, where it has become a well-loved backdrop for family photos, weddings, and community gatherings among the roses.
On Monday, some of Huffman’s descendants were on hand for the reintroduction ceremony, including Joanne Wigley, the great granddaughter of Laura Kirkland Huffman.
Wigley was all smiles, saying she was glad to see the fountain back on after such a long wait.