Downtown Atlanta has a small, triangular shaped park that sits adjacent to the Georgia State University Campus. Located in the triangle between Edgewood Avenue, Courtland Street, and Gilmer Street, Hurt Park was originally designed by the notable landscape architect William C. Pauley. Named after banker, real estate, and streetcar developer Joel Hurt, Hurt Park opened in 1940. It was one of only a handful of important construction projects in downtown Atlanta during the Great Depression, and it remains one of the City's most important landmarks from the period between the two World Wars. It was also the first public park in downtown Atlanta since the 1860s and one of the great achievements of then Mayor William B. Hartsfield.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Hurt Park was among downtown Atlanta's most popular attractions. The central feature of the park was its iconic 'Fountain of Light', an imposing fountain designed by Atlanta sculptor Julian Harris and presented to the city through the Emily and Ernest Woodruff Foundation in 1940. However, time had taken its toll and the entire park, and its fountain, recently underwent an extensive renovation that was completed in August of 2022

In particular, the park's star attraction, the 'Fountain of Light', had fallen into extreme disrepair. The vintage fountain and surrounding park were badly in need of a complete renovation. Over the past 10 years, the fountain's mechanics no longer functioned. Additionally, the plantings around the fountain were filled with litter turning the once beloved park into an eye-sore that no longer attracted visitors.

Because of its location, both the city of Atlanta and the University had an interest in bringing the fountain back to its former glory. HGOR Landscape Architects worked closely with Georgia State University and Fountain People Inc., a commercial fountain manufacturing and design firm, who were familiar with this type of historical fountain renovation to both restore the water feature structure, redesign its perimeter, and replace the mechanical and electrical equipment in order to get the fountain back in working order.

Fortunately, the city of Atlanta and Georgia State University were committed to recreating this beautiful urban space and recapturing the fountain's original magic. The project team carefully undertook the effort using modern technology and construction methods to express the original design intent.

 
Fountain Facts
The fountain was built in 1945 and has served as a popular gathering spot in the heart of the city ever since. During the 1940s and 1950s the "Fountain of Light" at Hurt Park gave a light show of color every evening for 20-minute periods, changing its patten three times every hour. The light came from 78 bulbs from 100 to 1500 watts.

The fountain itself is made entirely of marble. Unfortunately, many of the marble panels were cracked and had to be replaced. Additionally, there is a large marble wall behind the fountain, that also had to be meticulously cleaned of graffiti. To add to the fountain renovation challenge, all the mechanical and plumbing components for the fountain are below the fountain structure and accessed only by a narrow tunnel passageway.

In August of 2019 the landscape architect and fountain team went to inspect the fountain to assess the situation. "It was a mess," explained Lauren Standish of HGOR. "It had inches of mud, but it ???,???was probably worse than just mud, as it had been flooded over the years with water from the sewer system, so it was really toxic mud, it was hard to breathe down there."

That was how the project started. The first step in the process was to have the university clean and stop the mud and sludge. Then a fresh air recirculation system was installed, and all the pumps and other equipment were replaced as well.

In the renovation of the fountain, the goal was to replicate the original fountain spray effect as much as possible. However, it didn't have to be an exact historical restoration replication of the fountain, allowing new upgrades like LED lighting with color changing capability. In fact, a custom spray ring with vertical shooting water was created and a center jet that shoots water 18ft into the air was put in place. It took a lot of coordination and multiple trips to the fountain to fine tune the nozzles and sprayers.

Modified Design
Away from the fountain, the entire triangular park was completely re-done. "All of the pathways were rebuilt in their original configuration with the addition of all the necessary ADA compliances, including the addition of a soft amphitheater with a small stage, meaning the park can now be used as a small performance venue," Standish detailed.

HGOR Landscape architects and general contractor, Macallan Construction, LLC, also worked together to modify the design of the fountain in which they decided to replace the original planting area around the fountain with large steps that encircled the entire fountain, making it more approachable by the public and providing more seating for visitors to enjoy the cooling spray and sounds of the cascading water. The concrete step color was chosen to accentuate the veins of the marble ???,???of the fountain.

Enhanced seating areas, remodeled walkways, and several additional improvements, including the integration of a concrete stage 30" above the front seating areas, promote social engagement at the campus' core. New safety measures were also put into place to ensure the park's lighting follows the proper codes and fixtures meet the City of Atlanta's standards. ???,???To improve visibility across the park, the landscape architect worked with an arborist to create a clear line of sight, as many of the trees had become overgrown. The overall restoration plan has prepared Hurt Park for installing security cameras, completing its safety initiative.

According to Standish, "Much of the original landscaping was overgrown and not maintained. The visibility was quite bad so people couldn't see in or out of the park, so we improved the visibility considerably by lifting the canopies of the vegetation as well as adding new plantings. We also were sure to make the fountain the focal point throughout."

Site renovations have allowed Hurt Park to offer revitalized greenspace with modernized elements that align with the growing area and the GSU campus and provide enhanced opportunities for further socialization among the student population.

The park's grand re-opening took place on Aug 22, 2022 with a host of city and university officials and local residents. The project drew praise for recapturing a beautiful part of the city's past and for being a fountain of inspiration.