Ventnor Fountain Friends Launch Campaign to Restore 103-Year-Old Historic Fountain
Community-led nonprofit aims to raise up to $750,000 to rebuild the landmark Ventnor fountain and preserve a treasured piece of local history.
VENTNOR – Right in front of Ventnor City's Waterworks Building stands a crumbling, vandalized, 103-year-old fountain that hasn't been worked on in decades.
It hasn't flowed in 40 to 50 years. But a small, passionate nonprofit is on a mission to change that.
Ventnor Fountain Friends was officially formed three years ago, but the idea started about eight years back, when Founder and President Dawn Burke-Sena was taking a walk through the neighborhood and stopped in front of the fountain.
"It looked so majestic even in its current state," said Sena. "And I thought, I wonder if other people in the community would rally to restore it."
That question turned into phone calls to public works, community conversations, and eventually, a nonprofit.
Built in 1923, along with the Public works building which is still pumping fresh water to residents, the fountain sits at 101 N. Cornwall Avenue, on top of Ventnor City's reservoir, one of three in the city, a 600,000-gallon water supply that provides a significant portion of the city's potable water. Only about 18 inches of turf separates the top of the reservoir from the fountain surface above it, which makes any restoration work a careful, precise process. The structure was built by Joseph L. Swigard and Company out of Philadelphia, who also commissioned the fountain's sculptor, Reinhold Hory. Hory is from Camden and also known locally for creating the Red Man's Hall statue in 1921.
Years of neglect and exposure to the elements definitely show. The four cherubs in the center are missing their heads and hands, the top basin growing greenery. Cracking and crumbing of the bottom basin and crumbling of the foundation blocked by an orange cone.
What makes the fountain’s story even more mysterious is what’s missing from the top of it. An eight-foot bathing beauty sculpture once stood at its peak, but it’s been gone for years, and no one knows how, why, or even when it disappeared.
Autumn Daughtry
When Sena first started reaching out to community members, the stories came flooding in. People remembered riding their bikes to the fountain as kids, playing with friends there, even trying to catch koi fish that used to swim in the lower basin.
"All these great, wonderful stories from local folks remembering, with fond memories, the fountain," Sena said.
That community connection is exactly why Ventnor Fountain Friends kept pushing, even through setbacks. Finding contractors with historic preservation experience hasn't been easy, and at over a century old, the fountain requires specialists who understand what they're working with.
The Ventnor Fountain Friends board includes Sena as president, Dave Rumsey as secretary, and Barbara Sullivan as treasurer. The group has built its base by showing up at community events.
One of the more unique aspects of this project: it's a private nonprofit taking on a restoration on public land. The city of Ventnor passed a resolution supporting the effort, but the fundraising responsibility falls entirely on Ventnor Fountain Friends.
The original structure can't be restored as-is, so an entirely new one will be built in its place. Local architecture firm SOSH is overseeing the project. Local sculptor John Dessicino of Absecon will work on recasting and recreating the fountain's original design. The work also requires a new pump and new water and electrical lines, with Ventnor Public Works handling demolition.
The estimated cost? Somewhere between $500,000 and $750,000, all in. Right now, the group has raised a small amount raised , including an $8,000 donation from the Ventnor chapter of the Atlantic County Historical Society. A full capital campaign is still ahead, pending a finalized site plan, budget, and contractor team.
In attempts to raise money and awareness, The city has included a fundraising appeal in residents' water bills. Ventnor Fountain Friends is also planning additional fundraising avenues, including memorial benches, tribute paving blocks, and a planned-giving endowment program. Once the existing fountain is dismantled, original pieces will be offered to interested patrons as another way to raise money.
Congressman Jeff Van Drew has also written a letter of endorsement for the project.
Ventnor Fountain Friends' commitment to keeping the community involved even extends to the youth. The group recently partnered with the Atlantic County Institute of Technology (ACIT), where students are currently working on a 2D site plan for the fountain as part of a class project. Sena sees it as one of the most important parts of the mission.
"Once the water is flowing and this fountain is redone, they're going to be able to walk by and see it," Sena said.
When it's fully restored, the plan is for the space to have benches, beautiful landscaping, and railings leading up the steps to the fountain, visible from land, sea, and air, Sena noted.
No end date has been set yet. But after eight years of determination, Sena even commissioned local artist Steve Kuzma to paint a watercolor of the fountain as it looks today. The piece is on display in front of the library at the Ventnor Cultural Arts Center on Atlantic Avenue. Kuzma plans to paint a companion piece once the restoration is complete, capturing the finished fountain.
Ventnor Fountain Friends clearly isn't stopping anytime soon and can be reached through their website for more information or to donate.
https://ventnorfountainfriends.org
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