Scenic downtown fountain restored

Published 9:52 pm Friday, July 19, 2019

A popular photo spot in downtown Suffolk recently received some much-needed repairs.

The Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts fountain was retiled by Tile and Terrazzo, according to Susan Lawrence, executive director for SCCA. Work on the fountain lasted from June 26 to July 5, and the fountain was put back into service July 8.

The 13-year-old fountain was given to the center by Mr. and Mrs. David L. Holland. Its tiles became loose and cracked with age, Lawrence said. The work was covered by a Birdsong Trust grant and, according to Lawrence, Tile and Terrazzo did “a great job” restoring the beauty of the center’s crucial piece.

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“The fountain is such an important part of the Suffolk Center, as it welcomes our community to a very special part of downtown Suffolk,” Lawrence said.

People come to the fountain and take photos for weddings, proms, reunions and other occasions. Visitors are encouraged to take photos of themselves with the fountain and post them on social media with the hashtag “Selfiesatthecenter.”

Lawrence said that the water is dyed different colors throughout the year to connect with the community, like green for St. Patrick’s Day, or pink for when “Pinkalicious The Musical” was performed at the center.

The center also dyed it blue in support of Virginia Beach after the deadly mass shooting on May 31.

“We dye the fountain different colors to represent what’s going on in our community,” she said.

The scenic spot also represents the creative visual performing arts and other exciting events at SCCA. For more information on the fountain and upcoming events, visit suffolkcenter.org.