Merrill Fountain

[Krawlspace]

So I have been trying to nail down an answer to a question which I had assumed would be much more forthcoming:

Did the Merrill Fountain function as it did in front of the Opera House after the move to Palmer Park in 1926?

I had always heard no, and my research seems to show 80% no and 20% yes. There are many references to the fountain and its history and relocation and current state. There's a five page thread from 2009 here on the site that covers a lot of ground including a grass roots [[pun intended) clean up by local residents. That thread talks of long time PP residents tentatively recalling functionality until the 1970's and even 1980's. I have also seen many references to the 1950's feasibility study by the City in which renovation was deemed too costly. This would seem to put the above mentioned recollections into doubt.

The only definitive thing I can find is the image of the fountain in PP on WSU VMC with the pools full of water and children dated to the 1920's. With the move having taken place in '26 this leaves an approximate window of 4-5 years after moving for the shot to have been taken. It might even be right after the move with a temporary hook up to "rededicate", and possibly never permanently plumbed. If you look closely at the WSU image there are indeed small spouts of water spilling from the lions. However the vertical spouts are not functioning, and the pressure doesn't seem to be very high. There is also an undated photo of the fountain in PP in Burton's collection, but it's a snapshot taken from a distance so it's a little hard to make out details. The pool sections are full of water it appears, but it doesn't appear to have any pressurized water jets.

So can anyone here say with certainty [[and hopefully with a source) whether the fountain was fully re-plumbed post-move, and if so for how long did it function after?