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Revitilization of Longwood Gardens’ Historic Main Fountain Garden
Publication Date
January 23rd 2013
Tagged

Main Fountain Garden at Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens selected Urban to provide mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and civil engineering design services to revitalize its historic, five-acre Main Fountain Garden. Urban is teamed with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects on the project.

 

Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square, PA, is one of the premier horticultural gardens in the United States. It was originally purchased from William Penn in 1700 by a Quaker named George Peirce. However, Longwood Gardens owes its present-day success to the contributions of Pierre S. du Pont, who acquired the property in 1906.

 

One of du Pont’s enduring contributions was the Main Fountain Garden. Completed in the 1930s, the fountains combined French and Italian design elements with American electrical technology. Today, the Main Fountain Garden is a centerpiece of one of the world’s most celebrated horticultural displays, which includes more than 1,000 acres of outdoor gardens and woodlands. The fountains recirculate 10,000 gallons of water per minute through 380 fountainheads, scuppers, and spouts as high as 130 feet in the air. Three evenings a week during the Festival of Fountains, the water is illuminated by 674 red, blue, green, yellow, and white lights in a computer-controlled display set to music.

 

“This project is a wonderful opportunity for Urban to demonstrate its engineering expertise to a global audience,” said James Bilella, PE, Urban’s Vice President and Director of Building Systems. “It is a challenging project, a great client, and a world-class team assembled – what more can you ask for?”