Sitting in in Pettygrove Park, near SW Third Avenue between Market and Harrison, The Dreamer fountain has not been in the same shape it was at installation in 1979 like some other fountains which are “twenty somethings.” A recent evaluation found the structure of the sculpture to be sound, but some of the welding seams have cracked in several places. Accordingly, some caulking in the pool had deteriorated. Over time the protective coating on the aluminum brass of the sculpture oxidized and deteriorated.
This Manuel Izquierdo's bronze sculpture and fountain installed in 1979 by The Portland Development Commission is made of "yellow metal" or malleable brass. The artist hammered the sculpture and its sculptural forms into rounded shapes.
Portland’s City Council gave the Water Bureau the responsibility of maintenance, operations, and restoration of many decorative municipal fountains, which includes The Dreamer in 1988.
An attempt to restore the bronze sculpture in 2006 repaired cracking seams, cleaned the surface, and addressed caulking problems in the reflecting pool.
However, as the lovely fountain ages every day, restoration has been commissioned to the Portland Water Bureau. The Portland City Council recently approved a $27,550 grant from the Water Bureau to the Regional Arts & Culture Council to provide restoration expertise needed to take care of this sculpture. Jonathan Taggart, a professional conservator who also worked on the Elk fountain in 2005 has been removing the coating on the sculpture, inspecting seams and the interior structure, welding cracks in the seams, cleaning and repolishing the surface, and recoating the surface with a lacquer designed for the outdoors. The project also aims to address the cleaning and restoring the caulking in the reflecting pool.
It is reported that the Water Bureau will develop a maintenance plan with the conservators to assure that the sculpture and basin get the regular attention they need. Maintenance will include skimming leaves and debris off the top and bottom, draining some of the water and replacing it with fresh as needed. A bureau operating engineer will hose out the basin to remove silt and debris on a monthly basis. It is targeted to have the sculpture gleam brighter than it has in recent years to provide an oasis of stillness in the busy cityscape for the decades ahead.
