Berger (Dandelion) Fountain

After 50 years, our beloved Berger Fountain, which beautified Loring Park and attracted visitors,  was in a serious state of disrepair and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) was close to shutting it down forever.  The neighborhood protested.  The resulting publicity led to an agreement with the MPRB that if we could raise sufficient money, the fountain would be restored.

MPRB then asked the Friends of Loring Park (FOLP) and Citizens for a Loring Park Community (CLPC) to determine costs and to begin looking at what would be the best way to restore the Berger Fountain. 

FOLP and CLPC formed a joint committee: the Berger Fountain Task Force (BFTF).  We are working with Damon-Farber (the Minneapolis landscape firm that planned the Convention Center park, Peavy Plaza and WaterWorks).

The BFTF has chosen the simplest plan which will restore the fountain in its current location on a newly designed plaza and will preserve the look of the iconic dandelion design.  

The BFTF has established a fundraising committee.    Due to Covid delays and increased construction costs, the current estimate remaining to be raised is $1.5 million. 

Restoration of the Berger Fountain is part of the Master Plan for downtown parks.  That plan includes a walking trail from the Mississippi River to Nicollet Mall; from Nicollet to the Loring Greenway; down that beautiful walkway to the Berger-Dandelion Fountain; then through Loring Park, around the only downtown lake in our City of Lakes - Loring Lake - and ending at the Walker Sculpture Garden.