Lotta Fountain on the Charles River Esplanade.
The Esplanade Association has launched a capital campaign to restore the Lotta Fountain, once a popular destination for dog and their owners in warm weather.
The project has an estimated budget of between $250,000 and $300,000, and begins with updating a design study of the site completed in 2003. Anticipated work includes a thorough renovation of the fountain, which has been rendered inoperative from years of neglect, among other repairs.
The 6-foot granite fountain by renowned sculptor Katherine Lane Weems was constructed in 1939, and features a statue of a dog, the face of a cat and etched drawings of a duck and a rabbit. Its unique, Art-Deco design includes a fountain-fed pool for dogs, two bubblers for humans and granite benches. The fountain was built in memory of Lotta Crabtree, a philanthropist and one-time entertainer who died in Boston at age 76 in 1924.
For more information on The Esplanade Association or how to contribute to its capital fund to restore Lotta Fountain, visit www.esplanadeassociation.org.