It’s been a downtown Victoria fixture for more than 50 years — equal parts monument and meeting place.
But with the City of Victoria’s intention to revamp Centennial Square, a group of people have launched a campaign to preserve the Centennial Square fountain.
The water feature is made up of three monoliths representing Saanich, Esquimalt and Oak Bay, and it was a gift from those municipalities to commemorate the capital city’s 100th birthday in 1963.
Earlier this year, Victoria city council approved a $750,000 upgrade of the square, part of the Centennial Square Action Plan, to feature a new splash pad play area, space for a commercial kiosk and better accessibility and seating.
READ JUNE STORY: New splash pad at Victoria’s Centennial Square up for council discussion
John Adams, a local historian with the group “Friends of Centennial Square,” says preservation and retention of the fountain should be part of the plans.
“There is supposed to be public dialogue and we’re hoping that there will be,” Adams told CHEK News Monday.
“If people understand the symbolism and significance of this in the city’s history, and the fact that it was intended to make people look forward … and not just into the past, it would make people realize maybe this should stay after all.”
The city has not announced what they plan to do with the fountain in regard to removal or relocation.
The fountain, around for decades, was created by artist Jack Wilkinson with 500,000 pieces of Italian glass mosaic.
CHEK News
