The first phase of the renovations to the historical fountain in front of the Ansonia public library are complete.
Now the Ansonia Historical Commission will focus on how to get water to pump through the fountain, as it did when it was first in use about 100 years ago.
The fountain consists of a pillar and orb standing over a horse trough — or drinking bin — with water pouring out of a lion’s mouth. Click here for background on the fountain’s dedication.
Vandalism and time have left the unique fountain in dire condition, and the Historical Commission has undertaken the task of raising enough money to restore it.
The most intense vandalism happened in the late 1950s, according to old news reports. “A rope was tied around the pillar and it was pulled down with a car,” the Evening Sentinel wrote in a March 11, 1957 article.
It was that vandalism that may have left the fountain inoperable.
Phase II of the repair project will determine if the lion will ever spit again.
Randolph Carroll, chairman of the Ansonia Historical Commission, said there was a lot of damage to the lion’s face and teeth, and that other parts of the fountain needed repairs as well.
Is There A Plumber In The House?
There is significant work left to complete the second phase of the restoration of the fountain. The focus of the problem is centered around getting water to pump through the lion’s mouth.
Carroll said the group needs a plumber (preferably pro bono) to snake through the lion’s mouth to see if the piping is still intact.
If so, the commission will try to get water to pump through the mouth and into the trough again. One way to achieve that would be to have a retention pond in the ground with a circulating pump.
Carroll said he prefers this option because it would restore the fountain to its original condition.
If the piping in the lion’s head is too damaged to repair, the commission is considering installing a pump in the trough, to spray water within it.
Carroll described the device as looking like a shower head that would spray upwards.
The Repairs
The commission — with money raised through grants and donations — has hired Lyric Hall, a New Haven restoration company.
“We had to repair chips, cracks and other damage,” Carroll said. “We decided not to sand blast during repairs but decided to use granite sandpaper to clean the fountain and trough. It took a long time to do it since he (John Cavalli from Lyric) cleaned 100 years of grime by hand.”
Carroll said that one of the small posts that was used to keep carriages away from the trough was broken. So they ground it to dust to make epoxy to repair missing pieces of the fountain’s pillar.
Finally, the commission hopes to install granite Belgium blocks around the base of the fountain.
Carroll estimates the cost of completing the second phase will be around $5,000 and it should be completed by late spring or mid summer.
Joyce Ceccarelli, director of the Ansonia Library, said she is extremely please by the progress of the restoration.
“I think this is marvelous and I am so pleased and thankful,” Ceccarelli said. “I have such gratitude towards Randy and the Historical Commission for undertaking this. It’s a beautiful endeavor that they have undertaken.”
Carroll is asking the public to help with the second and final phase of repairing the fountain by considering sending donations.
Tax-deductible donations can be sent to City Hall, 253 Main Street, Ansonia, CT 06401 in care of Friends of Ansonia Historical Society.
