Keep in mind, construction is moving on Los Angeles time.
Featured image credit: Chris English
For decades, a delicate ballet of colored light and aquatics in motion has enlivened the point where Riverside Drive and Los Feliz Boulevard intersect. Yet, you’d never know it if you’d passed through the area in the last several years. Instead, a dry, barren structure stands as a joyless monolith behind a flimsy chain-link fence, seeming to serve as its own gently rising gravestone. But the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain isn’t dead, so much as it is dormant. So when can we expect its vibrant spouts of spray to kiss the skies of Los Feliz once again? Well, this is Los Angeles, so not as soon as you’d hope.
The Remains of a Once Noble Tribute
Just up the road from the similarly defunct Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round, the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain sits conspicuously devoid of the charm that used to light up eyes and hearts with its waltzing waters. Its arid turquoise tiles, dulled into a sun-faded mockery of their once brilliant coloring, almost resemble the decay of patina at this point. You’d never recall this as the backdrop of countless quinceañeras, birthday parties, and wedding photos over the decades. The white roses wreathing it bloom, and wither, and drop, and bloom again, yet the fountain remains a husk of its former bountiful glory.
Constructed in 1940 as a tribute to the much-revered pioneer of LA’s complex aqueduct system, the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain quickly became a fixture of recreation in the quaint neighborhood of Los Feliz. During his illustrious career, Mulholland would rise to become the first superintendent of the Los Angeles Water Company (which itself would evolve into the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power).
But before all of that, the innovative engineer was a simple ditch-tender, teaching himself engineering and getting by in a rustic cabin at the edge of what would some day be regarded as Griffith Park. Today, the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain is gathering dust in the space where that log cabin once stood. And, aside the fountain on an elevated pedestal, stands an antique hoop of metal; a piece of the city’s original aqueduct system, like the vertebrae of a long-dead prehistoric titan.
A Los Feliz Fixture
Yet, it’s recent history that seems more at the heart of the average fountain-goer’s enthusiasm for the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain. When people recall the years when the fountain would send scarlet surges and green geysers spouting 50 feet into the air, they mention family members, friends, and loved ones, but rarely Mulholland himself. The importance of the fountain to modern residents of Los Feliz (and Los Angeles as a whole) is steeped in potent nostalgia. It seems that, for every one of the fountain’s 2,250 gallons that once ran through its metallic veins every minute, there’s a story about how the fountain served as the backdrop of someone’s perfect day.
A Desperate Need for Repair
So why has this beloved landmark of Los Feliz been sitting in disrepair since 2021? Because the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain has been coasting on machinery that hasn’t been serviced since it was installed in 1940. Sure, there’s been minor maintenance and even a couple of aesthetic overhauls in 1998 and 2013. But much of the fountain’s guts are original parts that have worn out from decades of stress.
The last of the fountain’s aqueous arcs reached across Los Feliz’s blue skies at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic in June 2021. A leak was discovered in the art deco monolith’s waterproof veneer, and two feet of standing water had accumulated in the subterranean equipment room, wreaking havoc with mechanical and electrical parts alike. No band-aid could staunch this wound.
Long-Term Repairs and Renovations
While city workers already had an ambitious restoration in the works, the damage has now made this a significantly larger and lengthier endeavor. Crews will implement the long-overdue repairs alongside the already-planned upgrades. While that may sound like a good thing, chain-link fences went up around the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain in 2021. Since then, little to nothing has changed. Original projections estimated an end to construction in 2025. Now, construction isn’t even slated to begin until the latter part of 2026.
To be fair, the work planned for the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain has ballooned to an extensive project set to the tune of $5 million. This includes:
- Adding new waterproofing and sealing
- Installing new programming technology and corresponding LED lights
- Relocating a transformer
- Repairing nearby benches and walkways
- Repairing the plaster finish
- Replacing the damaged pump room equipment
- Updating the mechanical components
Throughout the construction, the crew will make every effort to maintain the historical character of the fountain through its distinct design and features.
The Future of the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain
Unfortunately, with a somewhat ambiguous construction start date, it’s difficult to accurately assess an estimated time of completion. Especially with the 2028 Olympics looming so close to the vague starting point of construction. At the beginning of 2025, canvas signage was posted by the city emphasizing the forthcoming renovation and repair project. However, within weeks, the signage was gone, replaced by the drying clothes of an unhoused individual. It almost seemed to underscore that we as a city have more immediate concerns than feeding our nostalgia. But then again, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to love where we live.
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