After having gone missing from Marshall Square Park for six decades, the upper tiers of its historic park fountain have returned in all their glory, and a rededication ceremony Saturday christened the fully restored centerpiece in honor of a legendary West Chester developer.

Standing again at the corner of East Marshall and North Franklin streets, the renewed fountain was also renamed the “Jack R. Loew Memorial Fountain.”

“Our goal has been to create a welcoming space and gateway for our town,” Friends of Marshall Square Park President Jeff Beitel said.

The fountain was first installed in 1889 and then partially removed in the 1950s. Fortunately, private owners saved the original upper tiers at an East Bradford farm until they were finally recovered by Friends of Marshall Square Park in 2012 and restored with funds from widow Patricia Burton Loew.

Mayor Carolyn Comitta welcomed the fountain back during last weekend’s event, while Friends of Marshall Square Park Vice President Jim Salvas provided a history of the fountain and Fountain Committee Chair Anne Walters read the story of its recovery and restoration.

Read about further restoration plans for the fountain’s surroundings on the FMSP website here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Jack Loew’s contributions to the community here.