PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and other city leaders got together on Friday to celebrate the reopening of a Federal Hill landmark.
The DePasquale Square fountain is flowing again after undergoing renovations.
First built in 1981, the fountain was temporarily repaired last year after it was hit by a car. The recent renovations sought to preserve the fountain’s “shape and iconic image,” according to the mayor’s office.
“Federal Hill really is at the heart of what makes us who we are,” Elorza said. “And when you see this monument right here in the center that just wasn’t working — what a terrible, what a bad symbol that is — that’s why we prioritized this and made sure that we put our best foot forward as a city.”
“There’s no way that when I joined City Council and started learning about what was necessary to restore the fountain I could’ve anticipated the amount of challenge and diversity that would face our community over the last few months,” Ward 13 Councilwoman Rachel Miller said. “As we stand here today, we’re not just celebrating this incredible renovation, the long legacy and Italian history of our city, but we’re also celebrating our ability and our resiliency to work through adversity.”
Officials also highlighted how the reopening of the fountain coincides with “Al Fresco on the Hill,” which got underway last month. Every Friday and Saturday night, two sections of Atwells Avenue are closed down to give restaurants space to put out additional tables and serve more parties.
“The sacrifices that restaurant owners and chefs and restaurant workers had to make over the last few months to keep themselves and our community safe has been, I know, a tremendous burden,” Miller added.
