🔒From France to Philadelphia to Tom Brady: Historic fountain brought back to life at Beechwood Hotel

A cast iron fountain from the 1800s has taken a long journey of restoration to now be installed and displayed at Beechwood Hotel in Worcester. In early 2019, Dr. Charles Birbara – who co-owns the Beechwood with his wife Janet Birbara – purchased the remains of the fountain with the decision to rebuild. “For years I wanted to have a water feature at the hotel,” Birbara said. Birbara searched the website of Olde Good Things, a Scranton Pennsylvania-based company that deals with architectural antiques. Birbara had previously purchased from them the 100-year-old sconces featured on the stone columns at the entrance to the Beechwood Hotel. The ad, “Spectacular Fountain from Fairmount Park in Philadelphia,” rumored to be cast in the same foundry as the Statue of Liberty, immediately caught Birbara’s attention. “This ultimately proved not to be the case. In fact, the fountain was indeed cast in France, but by an equally prominent foundry that had previously cast the Brewer Fountain some t10-15 years previously, which is on the Boston Common as well as other major fountains in cities throughout the world,” according to information provided by Birbara.

The Grand Fountain was created by Val d’Osne Foundry, founded in 1835 by Jean Pierre Andre Victor, inventor of cast iron ornamental technique, according to information provided by Beechwood Hotel. Fairmount Park Art Association in the City of Philadelphia purchased the fountain in 1879 for $6,451.43, and was shipped in 1880 at a cost of $289.87. The fountain was placed in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The trustees of the Fairmount Park Association voted in the 1940s to recommend the fountain be disposed of, due to poor conditions and high repair costs. The fountain was then sold to a private party, who erected it but never had it working as a fountain. After a number of years, it was dismantled again and eventually wound up in a terribly degraded state in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which is where it was when I bought it, according to information provided by Birbara. Once the fountain arrived in Worcester, Birbara had it stacked in a remote corner of the Beechwood parking lot. John Stowe, a member of the American Antiquarian Society, arrived at Birbara’s office about seven years ago to get the project in motion. “I can unequivocally say that without John Stowe’s interest and giving me the direction to go with restoring the fountain components, there would not be what you are seeing here today,” Birbara said. Stowe introduced Birbara to Jeff Buccacio, who co-owns Canton-based Buccacio Sculpture Services with his wife Nina Buccacio. Buccacio has been involved in many other restoration projects and whose foundry cast the turtles spouting water at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, according to Birbara. Buccacio also designed and was the lead sculptor of the Tom Brady statue at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. “What I did not know was that restoring the fountain itself was just a small part in bringing the fountain to life,” Birbara said.

The fountain required a pump to raise the column of water to about 30 feet high, which had to be specifically made. This was crafted by Delta Fountains, based out of Jacksonville, Florida, who was also involved with the fountain in New York City to memorialize the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Water pressure was another complex issue, as water would spew from about 30sites on the fountain. A well was drilled about 500 feet to obtain adequate water flow, and a filter system was installed to reduce excessive iron from the well. Birbara then engaged with a Boston-based engineering firm to ensure the fountains stability in the case of a storm. Boylston-based LEI Corp. was involved in the landscaping aspect of the fountain. Following the seven-year-long repair and reassembly process, The Grand Fountain was unveiled at 363 Plantation St. on Oct. 7. The structure stands at about 30 feet high, mounted on a concrete foundation. The fountain features winged cherubs seated on rocks, with frogs and lions’ heads emitting water into the basin. Three maidens stand in the center holding up a round tray with detailed edging as a decorated vase surmounts the fountain. “This whole rejuvenation of this amazing fountain is the result of so many wonderful people who worked so hard over many years to allow this marvelous fountain to be enjoyed once again by future generations. I can’t thank all of them enough for their participation in this project,” Birbara said. Construction at Beechwood is not over yet, as an outdoor kitchen and bar area adjacent to the fountain is in the works. Once complete, the outdoor space will allow guests to enjoy food and beverages with the view of what Birbara believes to be a significant piece of history. Jill McSorley is an editorial intern for the Worcester Business Journal. She is a student at Assumption University studying communications and media, writing, and marketing.