Capitol Campus landmark nearly ready to reopen after major renovation

A months-long, $909,000 renovation is wrapping up at the Tivoli Fountain on the Capitol Campus.

Crews are installing a 50-foot spray ring in the fountain’s outer basin that will “throw streams of water from the outermost edges of the fountain up and into the center ring, forming the umbrella of water that is a featured characteristic of the Tivoli Fountain,” according to a Department of Enterprise Services release.

When finished, the fountain will use less energy, less water and require less maintenance than before the renovation. The original fountain had a water capacity of 27,800 gallons; the new fountain’s capacity is about 19,000 gallons.

The fountain also has new piping, a new filtration system and updates to its electrical system. The old lighting will be replaced with energy-efficient LED lights.

A historic drinking fountain nearby, the last of its kind on the campus, also has been restored.

The fountain will reopen without its original iron picket fence after workers found lead-based paint on it.

The fountain, which opened in 1953, is a replica of a Roman-style fountain in Tivoli Park in Copenhagen, Denmark. Olympia’s fountain was donated to the state by the Olympia-Tumwater Foundation and typically operates April to October.

While the state has made many minor repairs to the fountain since it opened, most major components had never been replaced before this renovation.

The work is expected to be completed in late summer and officials plan to hold a reopening ceremony then.

The fountain isn’t the only Capitol landmark getting a facelift: The sundial between the O’Brien and Cherberg buildings has been sent to Seattle for restoration.

This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Capitol Campus landmark nearly ready to reopen after major renovation."