The Thomas Center recently finished repairs of its West Gardens fountain.
The city requested $50,000 for the repairs, according to the Florida Department of the State, but it was unclear Monday whether that amount was spent because city officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
The repairs included waterproofing, fixing the lower basin, and replacing two sections of the original galvanized pipe with PVC pipe, which was intended to allow the pedestal to spray water again for the first time in more than 10 years, according to a news release Monday from Gainesville’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.
An original construction date of the fountain is not known, the release says. But recently discovered photographs from 1933 could point to the fountain being built roughly when the site went from being the Thomas family’s home to the Hotel Thomas in 1928.