Andrzej Dajnowski
Abstract
The Fountain of Time was created by Lorado Taft between 1907 and 1922. Taft created a 120′ long, 27′ tall sculpture which he wanted to make of a durable material. Granite, marble, and bronze, because of the size of the sculpture, were too expensive. Taft selected exposed aggregate concrete as a final material. After eighty years of exposure to an outdoor environment and inappropriate maintenance the Fountain of Time was severely deteriorated. It had lost much of its surface, was cracked in numerous locations, and had missing sculptural details.
A few decades of research and tests provided valuable information. Our treatment involved structural repairs, recreating missing details, and resurfacing of approximately 8000 square feet of the surface.