Dunkirk Historical Museum

The King Neptune Fountain of Dunkirk, New York

The King Neptune Fountain was produced at the J. W. Fiske Company of NYC, considered an eminent manufacturer of decorative cast iron and cast zinc items in the late nineteeth century. The fountain was purchased in 1883 and stood in front of the administration office building at the Brooks Locomotive Works (which later became the American Locomotive Company --ALCO). When the office building was torn down in 1937, the fountain was truned over to the cinty of Dunkirk, and up to the1970’s it resided in the center of Washington Park, in operation as a fountain.

Years of harsh weather, neglect and misuse resulted in its deterioration, and it was moved to stroage for nearly thirty years. In the 1990’s the city turned it over to the Dunkirk Historical Society, which launched the “King Neptune Restoration Project” teamed with the Dunkirk Rotary Club. After raising 20,000, Robert Booth, a SUNY Fredonia professor who was well known for his restoration work of the Mark Fountains in the Barker Commons of Fredonia, New York, agred to do the repairs.

Restoration was completed in the summer of 2001, the fountain was placed on loan in the natatorium lobby on the SUNY Fredonia campus.

The fountain, made of zinc and painted to resemble bronze, weighs 900 pounds and stands seven feet tall. At least one “twin” to the fountain is on display in Staten Island, New York. That fountain’s original, located in the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, is missing a hand, an arm, and a foot. A working replica based on the original stands on the park grounds.