DETROIT (WWJ) -- For the past decade, the one-of-a-kind Dodge Fountain at Detroit’s Hart Plaza has been only for show, as the public art piece has been out of operation.
Now, the city has spent millions of dollars to bring the fountain back to working condition, just in time for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Detroit City Council approved nearly $5.6 million to restore the iconic fountain, which was designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1978 as Philip A. Hart Plaza was being completed along the Detroit Riverfront.
The much-needed facelift for the Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain began back in October, marking its first major restoration since it was first conceptualized nearly 50 years ago.
After the fountain's damage was evaluated, the panels were removed from the fountain's dome light, its jet lights were repaired and then put back into place once they were in proper working order.
The funding for the project came from the American Rescue Plan Act, a bill passed in 2021 to provide cities with COVID-19 relief. The fountain's restoration served as the focal point for a huge overall upgrade to Hart Plaza, which totaled $9 million.
Over the weekend, the account Metro Detroit News shared a video on Instagram of the Dodge Fountain lighting up the night in Hart Plaza for the first time in years, and it looked better than ever.
On this episode of The Daily J podcast, WWJ’s Zach Clark looks at what the restored Isamu Noguchi-designed fountain means to Detroit's comeback.
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