LOS ANGELES (April 27, 2017) – In preparation for the long-term restoration and modernization of the Mulholland Fountain, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will temporarily close the fountain to begin exploratory work on the structure and mechanics of the historic monument. The fountain, located at the southwest corner of Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive in the Los Feliz community, will be out of service from April 28 through the end of May. The fountain will be re-filled after the plaster removal and exploratory work are completed.
This phase of the fountain’s restoration involves critical investigative work necessary to provide a foundational basis for the phase two modernization that is scheduled to begin next year.
“The Mulholland Memorial Fountain is a Los Angeles icon,” LADWP’s Senior Assistant General Manager of Water Richard Harasick said. “Unfortunately time has taken its toll on the structure. Its plaster is delaminating, the concrete is buckling and the overall mechanics need a serious tune-up. This closure is necessary so we can properly plan how to bring this monument back to its former glory.”
Most of the fountain’s elements date to its original construction in 1939. The modernization plan, scheduled to begin the fall of 2018, will bring the fountain into the modern era in terms of water and energy efficiency with upgrades to the fountain, the lights and the pumps, all-the-while maintaining the original integrity of the design.
Dedicated in 1940, the Mullholland Memorial Fountain is a water feature and Los Angeles landmark that commemorates William Mullholland, LADWP’s first water superintendent and chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The Los Angeles Aqueduct is an engineering marvel that has brought water from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles using gravity alone since 1913.
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