Laguna Beach's Oldest Sculpture Fountain Remains Broken, Residents Say

LAGUNA BEACH, CA—Laguna Beach's oldest sculpture, which once served as a fountain and dog watering station near Main Beach, has fallen into disrepair. Residents are asking why what was once a source of local pride has remained broken for six years.

The bronze fountain "Boy and Dog" sits at Cliff Drive and North Coast Highway at the small Jahraus Park near the town entrance. It was originally sculpted in 1933 by local artist Ruth Peabody and depicts a child and a Scotty dog.

According to Visit Laguna Beach's website, this fountain is the oldest installation in the city's outdoor sculpture collection, which was part of the original beautification project. An article in the Laguna Beach Independent describes how Isadora W. Kerr donated the bronze fountain to memorialize her sister.

The Indy describes the installation as "a community effort between the Laguna Beach Garden Club, locals who built the statue's foundation—including the son of the park's namesake, Joe Jahraus—and the water company ran a pipe so that the fountain could have water and run.

Today, over 100 sculptures adorn the seaside town. Still, the first one of many remains unworking.

Longtime Laguna Beach resident and Laguna Nursery owner Ruben Flores says the fountain hasn't run in six years, with little to no explanation.

He discussed the fountain's state of disrepair with Patch.

"I emailed the city manager and city council about the fountain, and they did receive it," he said. "We'll just have to wait and see."

According to the city's Deputy Director of Public Works, Reza Jafari, the city shut off the waterfall in an effort to conserve water.

"The art piece includes a built-in drinking fountain and a waterfall feature where water continuously cascades down the artwork into a decorative reservoir and ultimately drains out onto the sidewalk," Jafari responded to Patch's question over email. "The drinking fountain portion is currently in service; however, several years ago, we decided to turn off the waterfall feature."