The Berger Fountain, Loring Park’s dandelion-shaped centerpiece, is finally on track to gush again after years of sitting dry. State lawmakers signed off on $1.8 million this spring to cover a big chunk of a full rebuild and plaza upgrade, closing a longstanding funding gap that neighborhood volunteers have been chipping away at for years. Designers and park staff say the project will replace the fountain’s aging underground guts, add seating and planters, and improve lighting and accessibility throughout the site.
Bonding dollars push project forward
According to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the new funding comes from the state’s bonding package and is specifically earmarked for the Berger Fountain and plaza renovation. The Legislature’s HF719 text also spells out a grant to predesign, design, construct, furnish and equip improvements to the Berger Fountain and Plaza, per the official bill record.
Design and plaza will reshape the site
Damon Farber Landscape Architects is handling the plaza design and construction documents, and their concept keeps the iconic dandelion spray head while stretching the surrounding platform into a triangular plaza with seating, flower planters, permeable paving and nighttime lighting. Damon Farber and neighborhood partners say the plan focuses on accessibility and long-term sustainability. Citizens For A Loring Park Community has shared concept boards and fundraising updates that break down the planned seating, planter layouts and other plaza features.
How the dandelion went dark
According to Citizens For A Loring Park Community, the Berger Fountain was installed in 1975 after Benjamin Berger commissioned a copy of Sydney’s El Alamein Fountain, and decades of use slowly took a toll. The plumbing, tiles, and electrical systems deteriorated so badly that the Park Board shut off the water in 2018. A tilted foundation and leaking pools left the underground vault in rough shape, pushing officials toward a full shutdown and triggering a multi-year push to raise repair money.
Fundraising and early work
Organizers peg the total project cost at about $2.6 million, and neighborhood groups report that roughly $1.3 million had already been raised before the new state appropriation filled in the largest remaining gap. Citizens For A Loring Park Community has tracked donations, matching grants and earlier legacy funds that carried the design through schematic stages. Reporters also observed crews in late May pulling out old piping from the fountain’s underground vault as an early prep step, which officials describe as necessary before the main reconstruction can be put out to bid and scheduled.
Park staff say formal contracting and a construction timeline will come after state dollars are officially contracted and bids are awarded. In the meantime, the early infrastructure work is meant to smooth the eventual full reinstallation and protect nearby trees and other park assets once heavy construction ramps up.
Neighbors welcome the comeback
Local volunteers are framing the restoration as both a neighborhood comeback story and a small but meaningful win for public space. “It’s going to be a new memory for newer generations,” Jay Nuhring, a member of the Berger Fountain task force, told Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. State Sen. Scott Dibble has called the appropriation a victory for public space and said the investment reflects why “beauty matters” in shared community places, according to local reporting.
Where to follow progress
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board maintains a project page with plans, renderings and key documents for the Berger (Dandelion) Fountain reconstruction, and it will post public notices and bidding information as the work moves from contracting into construction. Neighborhood groups are continuing fundraising and volunteer outreach as the project heads into its next phases, so residents can keep an eye on official project updates for schedule changes and upcoming community meetings.
