‘It’s part of our history.’ Merced community unites to restore historic Laura Fountain
New businesses, entertainment and restaurants are cropping up in abundance in one of California’s fastest growing cities, but Merced leaders say they aren’t forgetting their town’s history amid the momentum.
Symbolic of that is the effort to restore Merced’s historic Laura Fountain. While city leaders and community members have lamented the iconic fountain’s condition for years, progress is being made on a project intended to officially repair it to a state of honor.
The marble fountain was erected by Merced founder Charles Henry Huffman in 1888 and named for his third wife, Laura Kirkland Huffman. Laura Fountain’s construction led to Merced gaining the nickname “Fountain City,” according to the Merced County Historical Society.
Although originally built in front of the El Capitan Hotel, Laura Fountain was moved to its current location in Applegate Park in 1935.
But the fountain eventually began to crack and leak. It also fell victim to vandalism and dumped trash over the years. Put simply in the words of Merced Mayor Matt Serratto, “It’s a mess.”
An ongoing fundraising campaign spearheaded by the mayor, the Merced County Historical Society, Merced Downtown Neighborhood Association and other community members is backing a project aimed at restoring the fountain once and for all.
“It’s a historic symbol of this town that’s fallen into disrepair. To restore it and bring back what was once great about this town is really important,” Serratto said. “It’s one enormous step in saying ‘our best days are ahead of us’.”
Nearly $100,000 in private donations has been raised since fundraising began mid-last year. A number of “extremely generous” community members donated sums number in the thousands, underscoring Merced residents’ enthusiasm to see Laura Fountain returned to its original glory, Serratto said.
The total cost to revamp the fountain is estimated at about $250,000. The mayor asked his fellow City Council members this week to consider investing up to $150,000 in city dollars for the project.
“I think it’s very important, I think it’s part of our history,” Councilmember Fernando Echevarria said in support of the plan. He also floated the idea of adding an informational sign detailing Laura Fountain’s history.
Serratto and Echevarria’s colleagues at the dais voiced their support and directed city staff to return at the next City Council meeting with a funding plan for the council’s consideration.
Private fundraising efforts will continue in the meantime. If enough private donations are raised that the full $150,000 in city contributions are unnecessary, the excess dollars will go back to the city.
Anyone interested in donating to Laura Fountain’s restoration can contact the Merced County Historical Society.
Assuming the City Council signals the green light to allocate funds to the project, it’ll likely be a couple more months until the project is put out to bid, City Engineer Mike Beltran said.
The timeline is also uncertain due to the nature of the project being a bit more complex than day-to-day repairs. Restoring the 130-plus-year-old fountain is a specialized undertaking, he said.
The engineering department is looking at solutions that will keep original portions of the fountain intact while achieving a modern fix to the disrepair.
“It’s a really cool project to the city,” Beltran said. “We want to make sure it’s done right.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
