Philly shuts down Rocky Steps fountain buzz
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Children cooling off in the cascade fountains beside the art museum steps in the 1970s. Photo: National Archives and Records Administration via Wikimedia Commons
The cascade fountains that flank the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art have run dry for decades.
The intrigue: But crews have been spotted sprucing them up, raising speculation that something could be in the works.
The big picture: Philadelphia is going all out to improve and tidy its public spaces before tourists descend on the city for America's 250th birthday celebrations and the FIFA World Cup.
- So if not now for the fountains' revival, when?
🚨 Spoiler alert: The Parker administration is pouring cold water on any hopes of turning them back on.
State of play: Crews equipped with power washers, buckets and brooms have been cleaning areas around the fountains for weeks.
- One of the workers even speculated to Axios that the city was preparing to turn on the fountains as soon as next month.
Reality check: Ra'Chelle Rogers, a spokesperson for the city's Parks and Recreation Department, tells Axios those rumors are wrong.
- The city cleans and maintains the fountains (which are city property) only for decorative use, and that work is "focused solely on upkeeping the site."
- "Reactivation was never the intention" when the fountains were shut off and drained decades ago, Rogers added.
The Parker administration declined to discuss the fountains' future, including why reactivation was off the table and what it would cost.
Meanwhile, art museum spokesperson Laura Coogan tells Axios the institution had no further information about the fountains and referred all questions to the city.
Context: Water once cascaded down basins from the top of the Rocky Steps to the bottom, with small geyser fountains at the lowest basin.
- The project dates to the late 1920s, when the art museum was constructed, per reports at the time.
Friction point: The fountains eventually became de facto swimming pools and — duh —accidents resulted from people diving in them.
- So in the early 1970s, the city drained the fountains.
Then, in 1995, the fountains were permanently put out of operation due to maintenance issues.
The bottom line: The city has missed another opportunity to make a splash for the nation's 250th anniversary.
Tell us: Should Philadelphia repair the cascade fountains along the Rocky Steps and get the water flowing again? Take our poll: