05/27/2026
Majestic Scott Fountain gets
makeover, inside and out
By Marty Mulcahy
Editor
The Building Tradesman
DETROIT – The James Scott Memorial Fountain is a remarkable public art monument that has graced Belle Isle in Detroit since its dolphins, turtles and other sculptures first started spewing water in 1925.
But it has also consistently needed a lot of work, with electric controls, plumbing, masonry and foundations all more or less exposed to whatever weather elements Michigan’s four seasons have thrown at it over the past 101 years.
Enter The Christman Co., a group of their subcontractors and union trades, who were hired last year by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to repair, restore and address the many needs of the fountain as part of an 18-month, $5 million project.
“Overall with this project there’s a significant amount of restoration that needs to be done with the stone work and structural issues –we had to replace quite a bit more than we anticipated due to decay,” said Christman Project Supt. Manuel Martinez. “We’ve come across some of these issues as we have disassembled the fountain. We’re replacing electrical and plumbing systems. It is a beautiful fountain, but over the years it’s been out here, just exposed to the elements. Minimal water infiltration can cause a significant impact on the structure.”
Constructed of white Vermont marble, the diameter of the fountain’s lower bowl is 510 feet. The structure is 38 feet tall and its central water column spouts about 125 feet in the air. The fountain also has 109 water outlets in the shape of dolphins, turtles, lions and human figures.
The fountain is the most prominent part of the landscape in its spot on the southwest end of Belle Isle, closest to downtown Detroit. For decades the fountain has been a destination for Belle Isle visitors, and the subject or backdrop for countless family, graduation and tourist photos.
While there’s a lot going on above ground with the fountain’s complex marble basins and fixtures, as well as pipes and drains, there’s plenty of complexity below, too. An entire level under the fountain includes a water intake, three pumps, feeder pipe, drains, and electric equipment powering the fountain’s pumps and lights. The space underground has been unheated, and Martinez said a new air intake system will help relieve some of the high humidity that’s present in the warmer months.
Over the decades the fountain has been in and out of service. It is currently out of service for the duration of this project. In 2006 we featured a general cleaning and significant rehabilitation project of the fountain’s joints and seams led by Bricklayers and Allied Craftworker masons employed by Chezcore. At the time electricians and plumbers also rehabilitated the fountain’s three pumps and associated wiring. More plumbing work and stone cleaning was performed in 2014. Christman was not involved in either project.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which oversees operations on Belle Isle, provided an outline of this Scott Fountain project when it kicked off in May 2025, in the structure’s 100th anniversary year.
“To ensure the basin’s structural integrity and protect the underlying mechanical room, the renovation project will involve installing new concrete beams and replacing the underlying fountain plumbing,” the Michigan DNR said.
Said Thomas Bissett, urban district supervisor for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division: “Results of the concrete core samples taken from the lower bowl showed the basin structure needed to be addressed. Additionally, a watertight seal and marble elements around the lower bowl will help prevent water infiltration to subgrade operational space.”
The DNR said the money to rehabilitate the fountain comes via an allocation from the 2021 federal American Rescue Plan. The DNR said other money from that source will help “tackle a decades-long backlog of infrastructure and rehabilitation projects” in state parks and trails.
“This investment, made possible by American Rescue Plan funds, will ensure the long-term preservation of an iconic feature in Belle Isle Park,” said Ron Olson, DNR Parks and Recreation chief.
Maintenance of the fountain has come in cycles, and this latest effort involves extensive work on the plumbing, a task being led by Progressive Mechanical Foreman Kevin Shepherd of Plumbers Local 98.
Working with apprentice Jalief Thomas, Shepherd said their scope of work includes plumbing in the lower bowl of the fountain and below: replacing old valves, re-working the water supply system all the way to the mouths of the decorative turtles and other features, replacing water lines and adding new overflow drains.
“The system wasn’t really operational when we got on site,” Shepherd said. “We valved off everything to get done what we need to do. We haven’t found anything leaking. A lot of it is just old.”
He said he can only speculate exactly what existing plumbing materials might be original to the fountain, but some of the older fittings include brass pipes feeding the turtles and galvanized drain lines. Both are getting PVC replacements.
The toughest part of the job so far, Shepherd said, has been drilling 28 holes through three-foot-thick walls to allow passage of new water supply pipe to feed features on the fountain.
Looking around at all the one-of-kind pipe work in the fountain’s basement, Shepherd said, “this is a cool project to be a part of. I’m looking forward to bringing my family down here when it’s complete and telling them I had a role in restoring it.”
