The Centennial Fountain at the Vancouver Art Gallery to be removed in the fall
Posted June 26, 2014 6:45 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Centennial Fountain in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery is going to be removed by the city to make way for a redesigned plaza.
The man who designed and built the fountain says despite its age, the fountain was supposed to survive longer than this.
Built in 1966, the fountain is leaking into the art gallery’s basement. But the fact that it’s being removed shocks artist Alex von Svoboda. He heard the news a few days ago.
“You spend the money to remind the people who came first to Vancouver — who made Vancouver. Now it’s being discarded like that? I’m surprised.”
von Svoboda, 85, is proud of his work. “I did something for Vancouver and for British Columbia which was never done before.”
“Nothing major like this was ever done in North America,” he adds.
When asked how long he expected the fountain to last, he exclaimed, “Forever! The marble is a permanent material.”
The fountain will be removed in the fall.
