Bringing back a historic Detroit fountain
The Horace E. Dodge Fountain, located in the heart of Phillip A. Hart Plaza along the Detroit River, has been a significant landmark since its construction in 1978. Designed by architect Isamu Noguchi, the fountain became a symbol of modern water-feature design and engineering. However, after nearly 50 years of service, the fountain fell into disrepair and has not operated for the past decade.
In 2023, recognizing the cultural and aesthetic value of the Dodge Fountain, Detroit City Council allocated $5.6 million for the fountain’s restoration. This funding was possible through the American Rescue Plan Act, a bill enacted in 2021 to provide cities with relief from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. LaJuan Counts, Detroit’s Construction and Demolition Director, expressed the city's commitment to the project, saying, "The prospect of giving this iconic space a much-needed facelift and restoring the fountain to its former glory fills us with immense pride. This fountain is truly one of a kind, and reviving it is no small feat."
This was not an understatement. The fountain is truly unique. In fact, it was a prototype for Noguchi, who later perfected his design with the creation of The Fountain of Wealth in Singapore.
“There is nothing normal about this fountain,” says Luke Miller at Fountains by Water Works, the fountain-renovation company in Ashton, Md. that led the renovation. “For example, this fountain has three vertical turbine pumps, the type used in large ships! The metal structure is comprised of huge stainless-steel panels that are usually used to make airplanes, and it has a 55,000-gallon reservoir tank.” Miller says everything in the fountain was custom, from the plumbing, panels, bolts, and fasteners to the types of metals and waterproofing agents.
Renovation Scope
Fountains by Water Works led the overall renovation. The company hired Fountain People for design services and to provide most of the equipment package. Miller says this project was like none the team had handled before. “There were no existing plans for this water feature. No lighting diagrams, nothing,” he says. “Everything about this fountain was unique, from the metal panels and the pumps to the reservoir tank and the timeline.” But Fountains by Water Works was up to the challenge.
The contract was signed in late January, and the team was given over a year to complete the renovation. However, Detroit was scheduled to host the NFL Draft in April 2024, so there was a major push to get the fountain running by that time. “It was the most intense challenge,” says Miller. “We worked seven days a week and well over 12 hours a day. We had 10 of our own guys plus three subs, so about 20 people working on this fountain almost around the clock.” Additionally, the renovation was conducted in winter, and Fountains by Water Works is in Maryland, not Michigan. “It was cold, and we had a lot to figure out on our own because we are located over 500 miles away. But our ability to adapt on the fly, think outside the box, and work with amazing subcontractors allowed us to successfully renovate the fountain in such a short time.”
Fountain Design
The fountain's design is both distinctive and innovative, featuring a massive stainless-steel structure with two legs 5 feet in diameter, which support and supply water to a suspended stainless-steel ring measuring roughly 25 feet in diameter and 25 feet tall. Below this suspended ring lies a lower basin, encircled by an 8-foot-tall wall, creating an interactive space where visitors can be close to the water feature. The fountain's display includes intricate spray effects and LED underwater lighting, both in the lower basin and the upper ring, enhancing its visual appeal.
“It is a massive structure,” says Miller. In fact, the overall width of the fountain plaza area is 120 feet in diameter and was sized so that all the splash and mist from the fountain drains back into the fountain, even during windy conditions.
The lower basin includes three spray rings: an inner ring with 6 jets, a middle ring of 12 jets, and an outer ring of 16 jets. These jets produce heavy, vertical, shooting streams of water. A ring of 16 new LED lights shines from the lower basin. In the upper stainless-steel ring, there are three spray ring features as well: an inner ring with downward jets, a middle ring with fog jets, and an outer ring of fog jets. Between the upper fog jets, there are 48 new LED light fixtures in the inner-facing panel aimed inward and 72 new LED fixtures in the outer/top panel aimed outward. There are also 22 new LED fixtures in the bottom panel of the ring aimed downward. In addition to the lighting in the fountain, there are four additional new LED fixtures that illuminate the stainless-steel support legs. The display and filter pumps combine for a maximum flow rate of over 10,000 gallons per minute.
The fountain uses a recirculation system. The fountain pumps mentioned above are in an equipment room below the plaza. Water from the fountain display uses gravity to drain the water into a large underground reservoir tank. The fountain pumps pull water from the reservoir tank for filtration and recirculation back to the display jets.
Photos: Fountain People and Fountains by Water Works
The Renovation
Fountains by Water Works sourced the renovation of the pumps, piping, pipe fittings, filtration, and water sanitization equipment. “This was a true renovation, as there was no time to do a redesign,” says Miller. “We couldn’t get new pumps or materials. We had to just clean and refurbish everything.” There was no way to find a company to remanufacture the pumps in time, so Miller and his team took the pumps apart and sent the pieces to a shop to be refurbished, then put back together.
In addition, the reservoir tank had to be stripped, repaired, and waterproofed. “It was an intense challenge,” says Miller. “The reservoir tank is roughly 25 feet by 15 feet by 15 feet tall, a very large space and scary when you get in there with only two small port holes to get in and out of, and the water drains in 10 minutes.”
The tank is the heart of the fountain. The original design was such that the reservoir was flooded from the river, which was part of the reason for the fountain’s shutdown. “There were paint cans and brooms in there,” Miller says. “We explained to the city that they needed to change the system and use city water rather than river water.” The reservoir tank reflected the city’s motor history as a huge producer of lead.
“While renovating that reservoir, we removed 22,000 pounds of lead,” adds Miller. “This was so important as the public uses the fountain like a splash pad.” The fountain was therefore equipped with a large chemical controller, using chlorine and bromine to ensure water sanitation, as with a swimming pool. In the late 1970s, lead-based materials were used for waterproofing the reservoir’s interior. “We had to cut down the side of the walls to get rid of all those bad chemicals. It took us an entire month to do. With all the kids that play in that fountain, we know we had to do this to ensure public safety.”
The process of renovating the metal structure itself was also labor-intensive. “Our subcontractor cleaned 72 large, stainless-steel panels and had a new finish put on the metal to increase the shine,” Miller says. “We worked with an amazing metal shop called Nelson Ironworks that came up with a new finish to apply to these enormous stainless-steel panels that make the metal shine.” Nelson Ironworks had four to five people working on the project for almost two months. “It was a time-consuming process that took roughly 8-10 hours per panel to achieve that design and finish. The metal had to be brought back to nothing to be able to achieve that pattern design,” says Miller.
Additionally, the team stripped and repaired 144 lights in the top ring of the fountain and changed 168 lights in the lower basin bowl. Much of the focus was on the top ring because it was rusted and damaged from storms and the elements for over 30 years.
The Pump Room
The updated pump room includes the renovated and repaired 250 HP (1) and 150 HP (2) vertical turbine pumps that run the fountain display. A 20 HP pump filters the fountain water via two 71-inch-diameter sand filters. All pumps are specified to include a suction-strainer basket. Located on the discharge side of the display pumps are electronically operated butterfly valves that open and close to turn various groups of jets on or off. When the butterfly valves close, a pressure-sustaining valve opens to direct water into the 55,000-gallon storage tank, therefore preventing the pumps from “deadheading.” Throughout the fountain suction and discharge piping, there are additional valves for drainage and winterization purposes. A large bank of electrical panels includes breakers, motor starters, relays, and additional fountain controls. Also included in the mechanical space is a 1-1/2-inch fill manifold, a PH/ORP water-treatment system to meet code, and a water-level sensor.
Additionally, Fountains by Water Works added variable frequency drives to all the pump motors to save energy and incorporated a control panel that allows staff to program light shows. The overall efficiency of modern plumbing greatly improved the fountain’s functionality.
The main components supplied by Fountain People included 162 FXPRO LED light fixtures with an on-board DMX driver and on-board Remote Device Management (RDM). The RDM allows for bidirectional communication between each light fixture and the system controller over the DMX line. Plus, there were an additional 200 Replacement Mist Nozzles; each nozzle was made of a machined brass construction with a ¾-inch connection to replace the original mist nozzles. And there was one custom-fountain control panel with variable-frequency drive controllers. The control panel included motor starters and breakers for the display and filter pumps, plus disconnect switches, breakers, water-level control relays, lighting power supplies, a fountain light show controller, a color touchscreen, a VPN router, a 3kva transformer, a thermal air conditioner, and all required terminal blocks, grounding lugs, and labeling. The panels were pre-wired in NEMA 4 enclosures and factory-built by Fountain People.
Weather Challenge
This renovation was completed in winter, starting in January. It was cold in Detroit, especially down by the river where the fountain is located. “The entire fountain had to be tented during the renovation. We had 18,500 pounds of scaffolding on the fountain plaza,” Miller says. “We had to go 30 feet into the air to cover the entire structure.”
The futuristic stainless-steel ring and its two supporting rings stand 25 feet over the plaza. Due to the quick turnaround for the project, it was determined it would be more efficient to build scaffolding around the structure, instead of dismantling it and doing the renovation work off-site. Since the work was done throughout the winter in Detroit, the scaffolding was totally enclosed and allowed the workers to stay relatively warm as they removed and cleaned all the stainless-steel panels, replaced the jets and lights, tested all the plumbing, and ran new conduit and wire.
The Result
The restoration culminated in a grand reopening on June 13, 2024, celebrated by city officials, including Mayor Mike Duggan. The event marked the fountain's return as a vital public space and landmark in Detroit. The operational hours for the fountain are now set from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with plans to make it a central water feature for events and gatherings in the revitalized plaza.
The fountain was closed for the season on October 15 and will remain closed until May. Fountains by Water Works has a contract to winterize the fountain for the next three years to ensure it doesn’t fall into disrepair. Winterization is an involved process requiring all the valves to be opened to ensure full water drains. There are over 50 valves, and the team must be sure the stormwater drains properly so it doesn’t freeze. It took three days to shut down all fountain functions, remove all water, and turn off the electrical.
Overall, the rejuvenation of Dodge Fountain is a testament to the ingenuity of Fountains by Water Works and its subcontractors, and the City of Detroit's dedication to preserving iconic landmarks while adapting the water-feature design for contemporary use, ensuring it continues to serve as a focal point of community engagement and urban beauty for future generations.
“Everyone was really happy with the outcome,” says Miller. “We are a company that is willing to travel to renovate and repair any fountain. And after the Dodge Fountain challenge, we are confident we can bring any fountain back to life.”
