The Palmer Fountain.

**KENSINGTONY** · August-06-09, 04:36 PM

In looking through the many photos of old Detroit on the memory.loc.gov site,I saw that there was a fountain in front of the old Detroit Opera House at Campus Martius[[circa the teens and twenties) and in one of the photos it's named as the Palmer Fountain.Obviously long gone now,but does anyone know what happened to it?Sold off?Moved?Demolished?When?

dexterferry · August-06-09, 04:41 PM

it's six miles up woodward now.

EastSider · August-06-09, 04:42 PM

The Merrill Fountain was in front of the Opera House, and it was moved to Palmer Park in 1925. It's still there, but not working.

**EastsideAl** · August-06-09, 04:45 PM

It sits moldering away in Palmer Park, dry, abandoned, and mostly forgotten.

From this:

To this:

**jerrytimes** · August-06-09, 04:48 PM

This city is so irritating. I know it's not a real big deal that a fountain is wasting away in a park, but it's almost what the city's problem is. Just leave everything to sit and rot, not to fix it.

**Gistok** · August-06-09, 05:01 PM

At one point in the last 2 years the Detroit Opera House [[the one where the fountain was original located was razed decades age, this is a different location.. site of the former Capitol Theatre) and the Detroit Athletics Club were interested in possibly having the damaged fountain moved back downtown from Palmer Park. The possible relocation sites were going to be either in the grassy medium of Madison Ave. between [[or near) the 2 institutions, or at the East Grand Circus Park terminus of Madison Ave.

Due to the troubles of the economy, that idea has been shelved [[for the moment).

**n7hn** · August-06-09, 05:47 PM

and that fountian hasnt worked in decades, I have some photos of it from about 1980 and it was an abandon wreck then. It had a old disco shoe next to a dead bird in it. Symbolic of good times past in my minds eye.....too bad really

**Rocko** · August-06-09, 07:23 PM

I have a beautiful framed photo of it from the 1880s in front of the Opera House hanging in my living room. Lovely.

I personally think they should move it back downtown and put it into Capitol Park when it is updated and revamped. Fix it all up and make it a good meeting place, central in the CP triangle. If they can fix the James Scott fountain, they can do this one too!

**stasu1213** · August-07-09, 08:52 AM

Does anyone know what part of Palmer Park where canoeing was?

**Detroitnerd** · August-07-09, 09:03 AM

I'm just going to say it: That wreck of a fountain should be demolished. And we should do it while we can still use federal stimulus money to do so.

**Gary** · August-07-09, 09:19 AM

stasu1213...The Palmer Park duck pond/canoe pond is just west of the fountain on Merrill Plaisance. I remember freezing my ass off as a kid trying to learn how to ice skate on that pond.

**EastsideAl** · August-07-09, 09:33 AM

I like Rocko's idea. Bring it back downtown, and put it somewhere where it can be seen and enjoyed. Capitol Park will be a blank slate, just waiting for something like this that will reconnect it with the city's history - and replace the fountain that was taken out way back when they decided to turn it into a bus parking lot.

**jt1** · August-07-09, 09:35 AM

I'm curious if the people that are bitching about the condition have done a thing to improve the appearance of the fountain.

Have you pulled weeds from the area around the fountain? Have you contacted any organizations that may help with it's upkeep?

I woudl love to see it restored but the city is broke and this should be about the 1,000,000 th priority on their list.

If you are outraged start an organization to maintain and perform upkeep on the fountain. If your outrage results in nothing more than bitching on a message board then it must not be a lot of outrage.

And if anyone if concerned - I have not lifted a finger to improve or maintain the fountain. [[I assume it would be asked)

So who where that is upset will start a 'Friends of Palmer Fountain'?

**KENSINGTONY** · August-07-09, 10:34 AM

Thanks for the replies.Sorry to see that it's in such bad shape and mostly forgotten.

**jtf1972** · August-07-09, 10:44 AM

I'd love to see it in Roosevelt Park, right in front of a restored MCS.

A man can dream, can't he?

**6nois** · August-07-09, 11:11 AM

I live in the area and I would like to keep it in place. I am nearly sure people still live in the La Vouge, the basement windows are boarded, but thats it. The area is not really as bad as people make it out to be.

**buildingsofdetroit** · August-07-09, 01:04 PM

Move that schitt down to Campus Martius again. Or better yet, if they're going to tear down the Lafayette Building for a park, put it there.

**Gistok** · August-07-09, 06:45 PM

I don't think bitching about the state of the fountain is bad. If anything it begs the question of why the Scott Fountain has been restored [[at least partly anyway).... and the Hurlbut Memorial Gate over on East Jefferson has been restored twice already... once under CAY, and again recently.

If the folks in the area don't appreciate it... I suggest that a suburban Detroit city request to buy it and have it moved. That way the screaming indignation of Detroiters of "stealing" our cultural assets will put a fire under the city to finally do something with it...

All kidding aside, I think it should return downtown.... privately financed of course, as that idea was floated before the economy tanked.

stinkbug · August-07-09, 06:53 PM

Why not keep it where it is and clean it up? There has to be some money for that thing somewhere. Fix it and everybody will have a second fountain location to take their wedding photos besides Scott Fountain.

Not everything has to be downtown. It would be nice to see the rest of the city get some attention besides occasional infill housing. People might actually want to live here.

Lorax · August-07-09, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by stinkbug

Why not keep it where it is and clean it up? There has to be some money for that thing somewhere. Fix it and everybody will have a second fountain location to take their wedding photos besides Scott Fountain.

Not everything has to be downtown. It would be nice to see the rest of the city get some attention besides occasional infill housing. People might actually want to live here.

The best idea yet. Detroit's architectural patrimony needs to be spread out so alot more can appreciate it. Leave it where it is and get it working again- and lit at night.

Retroit · August-07-09, 07:53 PM

I agree with Detroitnerd. This fountain should be torn down so a parking lot can be built in its space. George Jackson needs to be transfered to the Palmer Woods Economic Growth Corporation.

**gnome** · August-31-09, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by stinkbug

Why not keep it where it is and clean it up? There has to be some money for that thing somewhere. Fix it and everybody will have a second fountain location to take their wedding photos besides Scott Fountain.

Not everything has to be downtown. It would be nice to see the rest of the city get some attention besides occasional infill housing. People might actually want to live here.

My plate is too full to organize such a project, but if you put your mind and efforts to it, I know you'd get a half dozen volunteers to show up on a Saturday or Sunday to knock down the weeds and haul away garbage.

Ball in your court. I'll show up if you organize it.

Stosh · August-07-09, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

I don't think bitching about the state of the fountain is bad. If anything it begs the question of why the Scott Fountain has been restored [[at least partly anyway).... and the Hurlbut Memorial Gate over on East Jefferson has been restored twice already... once under CAY, and again recently.

If the folks in the area don't appreciate it... I suggest that a suburban Detroit city request to buy it and have it moved. That way the screaming indignation of Detroiters of "stealing" our cultural assets will put a fire under the city to finally do something with it...

All kidding aside, I think it should return downtown.... privately financed of course, as that idea was floated before the economy tanked.

Creating a public ruckus is probably the only thing that would motivate enough people to get something done. If someone carted it off piece by piece, nobody in city government would notice it's gone. I wonder if any candidates for council have some sort of agenda regarding restoration/preservation?

Is there any estimate of what this would cost if privately finaced?

**Guideboat** · August-07-09, 08:14 PM

LOL, Detroitnerd!

**MrJones** · August-07-09, 08:28 PM

They should let them take the fountain to Sterling Heights for the enjoyment of a diverse group of individuals who can appreciate the finer things in life.

There seems to be basically two types of people;
Those who will work and sacrifice to create an attractive and healthy environment for their family and the community at large,
And those who are happy to ignore their families' surroundings, and the community at large, until all is finally entirely consumed.
Then what?