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Also from our Newsletter visit the • Lincoln Cottage Gallery
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In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, cast iron fountains decorated downtowns all across the United States. The beautiful and sometimes massive structures acted as the city’s symbol and a source of pride in the community. In some instances, they even served functional purposes such as drinking posts for horses or dogs. The pieces varied in style and size, but most came from one of three foundries: J.L. Mott or J. W. Fiske (both of New York) or Wood and Perot of Philadelphia.
As time passed into the 1930’s and 40’s, many of these structures began disappearing. Some were sacrificed during war, some were lost in downtown reorganization and a few have simply been dormant in storage. Over the next few decades, there was very little interest in restoring or replacing these fountains as urban development sprawled at a rapid pace. The attention of the community shifted from the downtown to the surrounding area.
Recently emphasis has been refocused yet again. Town centers all across the United States are experiencing a renaissance. People have begun to realize that a city’s downtown is the heart of the community; and in order to revitalize this heart for the future, it is important to honor the past. Therefore, the gorgeous cast iron fountains that once adorned every city’s center are again moving back into the limelight.
As an industry leader in recreating and restoring these historic symbols, Robinson Iron Corporation has seen a definite boom in requests for recapturing these lost icons.
Robinson Iron has restored fountains from large cities such as, Chicago, IL, Richmond, VA, and Montgomery, AL, and in smaller towns like Henderson, KY and Nelsonville, OH. In some instances, the community has the complete original fountain, but it has been ravaged by the elements, poor care or improper storage. These restorations are usually handled quickly and accurately. The fountain then looks just as it did when it was originally installed.
However, more often than not, there are very few (if any) of the original pieces left. In those cases, historical documentation becomes extremely important. Robinson Iron can completely and accurately recreate entire fountains using nothing more than an antique black and white postcard. We are able to use our vast library of historic catalogs to match each individual piece to our pattern collection.
Fountains are also becoming popular in cities that never had one as downtown areas look to make their focal points more attractive. Robinson Iron has an extensive selection of standard designs based on the same historical patterns used to restore existing fountains. We also specialize in designing custom fountains using new pattern work.
So whether you are looking to restore a community’s past symbol or create an entirely new one, cast iron fountains are a wonderful way to make your downtown’s heart race again.
