City Begins Demolition on Fountain to Make Way for Sandburg Statue

City demolition crews have begun tearing down a Galesburg landmark that has been in place since 1980. The Founder’s Fountain in the city’s central park will soon be no more, as city officials make way for the nine-foot-tall bronze statue of Carl Sandburg that’s set to be installed by the Galesburg Public Art Commission sometime in the future.

Some discrepancy has been taken over the removal. A plaque dedicated to World War II veterans has been displayed on the fountain for some time. That’s according to City Engineer Wayne Carl who tells WGIL, that once demolition is complete, the plaque will be moved.

“I think they were going to just wait and see who was going to claim that,” says Carl. “I know the Library has called about it and some other entities that called and I don’t know if they’re going to give it to the VFW or who they’re going to give it to. There will be discussions and they’ll decide in the future, but right now no decision’s been made.”

Carl says he believes city council “ok’d” the approval to remove the fountain sometime over the past two years.

Crews are expected to have the fountain removed by tomorrow at noon, and once it is taken out, Carl says a GPAC hired contractor will then begin laying the foundation of the statue–a project which is expected to be complete by the first week of September. The statue is expected to be placed slightly east of where the center of the fountain was located.