By Mary Hladky
Peggy Gossett-Seidman calls it the “sad little orphan fountain.”
Lovely but modest, it sits within a roundabout on Camino Real in front of the main entrance to The Boca Raton.
The fountain came to the attention of Gossett-Seidman, a Republican state representative whose district includes Boca Raton, earlier this year when she was speaking with constituents who live nearby.
“Many, many dozens of people said, ‘What is happening with that fountain,’” she said. They thought it was in poor condition and needed attention.
So Gossett-Seidman made it her mission to find out what can be done to improve it.
“It is my new pet project because truly it can use an uplift and maybe renovations and repair,” she said.
Thousands of vehicles a day use the roundabout, which also opens to the Camino Real bridge to the barrier island and the Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club.
Gossett-Seidman’s efforts began with some sleuthing to find out who owns the fountain and is responsible for its upkeep.
Gossett-Seidman learned from Susan Gillis, curator at the Boca Raton Historical Society, that the fountain was in place in 1930. Gillis has photographs documenting that.
But famed architect Addison Mizner, who opened the Cloister Inn within what is now The Boca Raton in 1926, was not responsible for building it, Gillis said. Possibly the Cloister Inn’s second owner, Clarence Geist, built the fountain.
After ascertaining that Camino Real is a county road, Gossett-Seidman enlisted Palm Beach County Commissioner Marci Woodward, whose district includes Boca Raton, to help her find answers.
“It’s an interesting dig into history,” Woodward said.
Woodward learned that the resort has paid for the fountain’s water and electric usage for years. The reason for that is not yet clear.
She and Gossett-Seidman also have yet to learn who owns the fountain or who is responsible for its upkeep.
Even though facts are in short supply for now, Gossett-Seidman and Woodward are agreed that they should come up with a plan to improve the fountain and to find a source of funding for that project.
“Everyone wants to see it improved,” Gossett-Seidman said. “Marci and I are making sure we get all of the people together.”
“I think the appetite is there to make something better,” Woodward said.
The resort also is on board.
“We plan to participate in whatever is going to happen with the fountain,” said Sara Geen Hill, executive director of communications and brand management. “It is in front of our main entrance. We want to make sure it is beautiful.”
Now is the time to do that, Gossett-Seidman and Woodward said. That’s because the city is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. The resort’s centennial is next year.
“This fountain seems a good way to memorialize the whole era in Boca Raton,” Woodward said.
How much it will cost to do that depends on how extensive the renovation is.
Both agree that the fountain is not in terrible shape, so improvements may not cost a lot.
“I don’t think it would be a large project to fund,” Woodward said. “It is not like it is in disrepair. It could use a little love, sprucing up.”
The county and state might be willing to help, they said.
Gossett-Seidman said she may be able to get a state appropriation or grant funding since the project would involve historical preservation.
County funding also is possible because the County Commission designated Camino Real from the Intracoastal Waterway to Dixie Highway as a historic district in 1997, Gillis said.
Gossett-Seidman thinks the stars are aligned on the project.
“I have had nothing but positive response all around,” she said. “I am very grateful to everyone for helping me out.”
The fountain is a worthwhile cause, she added. “It is a little jewel.”
Comments