The Broadway fountain in Madison Indiana - Essay Example

This fountain is known as the Broadway Fountain (Save Our Heritage Organization 1) A sculptor known as Felix Peano made a design for the bronze eagle finial and three panels. Above the columns of the plaza is a decoration proclaiming “Broadway Fountain for the People” (Gresham 2). Architect Gill had won the job to design the plaza again beating twelve other entries. Gill’s design was beautiful and was welcomed and accepted by the community. However, after a few years other people started to present other plans for redesigning the plaza and the fountain (Gresham 8).

In the period of the World War II, it was recommended the removal of the grass walks, palm trees and chains to enable conversion of the plaza into a bus depot for workers during the war. City Parks in San Diego opposed this move, but their opposition bore no fruit in 1943, the City Council modified the building amidst heavy opposition from the public. The sidewalks were widened on both sides and the grass was removed. Asphalt paving was laid around the trees and around the information booths (Save Our Heritage Organization 2) When the Second World War was over, the Park Commission decided to the remove the amenities that had been set in the plaza for the war.

Their view was to put a closed off plaza street inside the plaza. Their idea, however, required the removal of the fountain, the palm trees, markers and cannon. These plans and many other plans presented alongside them were not approved by the city (Gresham 10). For several years, the focus was on how to change the design of the plaza or remove it and thus its condition and maintenance were not taken into consideration. By 1955, the state of the plaza had depreciated so much that it could not be ignored.

(Save Our Heritage Organization 1) This time, the chamber of commerce was proposing the removal of the fountain, palm trees and the