Italian Fountain - Nanaimo

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Centennial Fountain c. 1962

Centennial Fountain Falling Into Disrepair

Downtown showcase has been allowed to deteriorate over the years and now needs a major facelift to restore it to it's original glory.

Newcomers to Nanaimo (easterners escaping harsh winters) likely have no idea how important the fountain in front of Port Place Mall  is to those who contributed to its creation and who have lived in Nanaimo all their lives. Some may even wonder why consider spending money on it, since just removing it would be the least costly option.

Nanaimo seems to have a habit of declaring things have come to the end of their lives after a number of years and adopt the attitude that tearing things down and building something new, is the way to go. A few examples in recent memory include the Civic Arena, the old Foundry, Colliery Dam, Morden Mine Tipple, old City Annex  and now perhaps the Centennial (Italian) Fountain.

Why Not Restored As Part of Port Place Mall Reno?

There was a time we were led to believe that the owners of Port Place Mall would be responsible for restoring this historic landmark that sits at the entrance to their mall. The company saw the value of their property greatly increase with recent renovations, and being successful in having the city approve a high rise tower on this property will add significant value to their holdings on this site.

Surely, restoring this historic fountain is not an unreasonable request to be made of the new landlords of Port Place Mall.

In an article in the Bulletin in April 2012 Councillor Diana Johnstone says they (the city) will be working with First Capital to make the needed improvements. Saying First Capital has indicated it wishes the fountain to remain because it was a gift from the Italian community.