This post is sponsored by Destination Medical Center
Earlier this summer, Rochester Mom along with Destination Medical Center launched a fun summer series called ♡ The Heart of the City for Rochester Families ♡. Have you been able to follow along? If you ever miss a post, or want to go back to see all the great information, you can find all of the ♡ The Heart of the City for Rochester Families ♡ on the Rochester Mom homepage, right in the middle on the main navigation bar. So far we’ve learned about what the Heart of the City is, the important work of infrastructure, and met some of the workers on the job site!
Have you made your way downtown to see the Heart of the City construction work and filled out the scavenger hunt yet? If you haven’t had a chance to you still have all summer! Turn in your completed hunt at the construction office station and pick up a construction hat and be entered in the weekly drawing to win a MOKA gift card!
What About the Peace Fountain?
Since beginning this series of information about the Heart of the City project, several readers have asked about the Peace Fountain. For many of you, the Peace Fountain is special, symbolic, and full of great memories. Yet for others, you might not have had a chance to see the Peace Fountain before it was carefully removed and placed into temporary storage for the Heart of the City Project.
The big question…will the Peace Fountain be coming back? YES! The Peace Fountain is part of the final design when the Heart of the City project is completed.
All About the Peace Fountain
The Rochester MN Peace Fountain was sculpted by the late Rochester resident Charles Eugene Gagnon. His wife Arlyn, has opened up their home as a museum to showcase the work of her husband. The Charles E. Gagnon Museum & Sculpture Garden is available for private tours by appointment only.
Peace Fountain Fun Facts
- There are 60 total doves on the fountain: 57 doves interlock and the remaining three rest atop the 57. 50 doves represent the 50 states of the United States of America; 7 represent the world’s continents; and the remaining three represent the past, present, and future.
- The fountain stands 12 feet tall
- The fountain was created out of bronze with a concrete basin.
- It was commissioned in 1988 and dedicated during Rochesterfest in June 1989. Last year, there was a birthday party in the Peace Plaza to celebrate the Peace Fountain turning 30 years old!
- Gagnon gave each dove on the fountain a name
- There is a nearly identical fountain to the Peace Fountain that stands in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany. That fountain is 17 feet tall.
The Future of the Peace Fountain
Earlier this spring, the Peace Fountain was carefully disassembled and transported to storage for safe keeping until it’s ready to be reinstalled into the Heart of the City! You can view this process below:
When the Heart of the City project has progressed to the point it is ready to place the Peace Fountain, it will be permanently installed in its final location close to where it was initially located.
This new installation of the Peace Fountain will be slightly elevated and will include a small scrim of water designed for children to play in or adults to find peace in by listening and watching.
The Peace Fountain is an important part of the final design of Phase 1 of the Heart of the City. This space will be flexible in its layout allowing for events, public markets, forums, and more.
