While the McKeldin Fountain is in need of maintenance and restoration, the proposed demolition is arbitrary and improper ("Interim designs for McKeldin released, as fountain demo moves forward," July 26).
First, the specific proposal to demolish the McKeldin Fountain — a work of art originally titled "The Waterfall," by Thomas A. Todd — was never approved of by the Public Art Commission, which is responsible for the administration of city-owned public art.
Second, the so-called "Pratt Street Master Plan," which only cursorily dealt with McKeldin Plaza, was never approved by the Planning Commission after a hearing on the issue. As a result, the public is right to be upset that their voices were not heard.
Third, there is no rational justification for demolishing the fountain. The justifications for demolition seem to be: Conjecture about future road redesigns; a feeling that removing skywalks equals economic development; and a dislike by some of modern art that looks anything like "Brutalist" architecture. To demolish a work of art for such flimsy reasons is irrational.
Aside from those formal concerns lies another: Is it moral for the government to destroy a work of art? Perhaps in doing so, we collectively teeter away from neighborliness and tolerance.
While everyone involved has the admirable goal of improving the quality of life through appealing public spaces, the McKeldin Fountain is an exceptional work of art and should be preserved.
Jeremy Rountree