Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
FIRE AND WATER
World-class fountain garden will feature fire atop water
On May 27, visitors to Longwood Gardens will be able to see a water show unlike any in the world.
After two years and $90 million in renovations that involved more than 3,000 workers and more than 9,000 cubic yards of concrete, the Main Fountain at Longwood Gardens will once again open to the public.
“The Main Water Fountain is the most significant water garden in North America,” said Paul Redman, CEO of Longwood Gardens. “We have the largest collection of fountains in any garden in North America. The only way you can experience something like this is you go to Versailles (in France) or Villa d’Este (near Rome), to find a garden on this scale and of this quality.”
The new fountain features are certainly impressive, with the LED lights capable of producing infinite color combinations. There are now 1,719 jets and streams, with the tallest being able to hit 175 feet. There’s the Basketweave, 40 small streams per nozzle angled to create a circular sheaf of wheat, the Garden Grow, with five streams that rotate in a circle, Hidden Layer Dancer, that involves nozzles
that move side to side on one axis, Dancer on A Stage, which features nozzles that move side to side and front to back on two axes, and the Panorama Air Nozzle, compressed air rockets that shoot five gallons of water from 32 nozzles straight up, with a booming sound burst.
But the show stopper is the Flame Nozzle, flames that magically erupt from propane-infused water atop a 10-foot-tall water jet spraying from 30 nozzles.
Longwood Gardens, which last year had more than 1.3 million visitors, will be much larger, with more than 5,700 feet of new paths and walkways for greater accessibility, including new stairs on the east and west side of the garden. An elevator will allow guests to access the Fountain Overlook, and a Pumphouse Plaza has been added, café-style seating for up to 80, with spectacular views of the pumps.
“Ninety percent of the project the guests will never see (the restoration work),” Redman said referring to the underground maze of high-quality pipes that have a lifespan of more than 100 years.
And now there’s a place to meditate, at the newly constructed grotto near the fountains. It’s a dim, cool, cavern-like space that includes four fountain features and bench seating for up to 15 people. The space was designed for quiet contemplation, Redman said.
The area near the grotto will be a must-visit, Redman said.
“We’re hoping this (area) will be a place people will hang out, have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee,” he said.
More than 81 firms were involved in construction of the revitalized Main Fountain Garden. More than 5,100 individual pieces of stone were restored and replaced, and 814 new pieces of stone created. More than 1,400 linear feet of new tunnels were added, involving more than five miles of pipe, and 51 tons of copper wire. The fountain lights feature technology found nowhere else in the world.
In addition, 2,640 new plants were installed, and 168 new trees planted. More than 100,000 cubic yards of soil were moved during construction.
Redman said much care went into the project.
“We even saved and preserved one of the original lead fountains that Mr. DuPont commissioned as mock-up for the original limestone he was using to test the form and shape and sculpture of the main fountain garden,” Redman said.
Longwood’s “Summer of Spectacle” season runs from May 27 to Sept. 30, and features Main Fountain Garden shows set to choreographed music daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m., with additional evening shows at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Hours at Longwood Gardens are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday for illuminated fountain shows. Admission is by timed ticket only. Tickets are $23 for adults, $20 for ages 62 and older, $12 for students, and free for children 4 and younger. Tickets for “Summer of Spectacle” go on sale April 3. For tickets and reservations, visit www.longwoodgardens.org.