Fitzgerald is losing his coat!

The ongoing monsoon has taken a toll on the iconic 157yearold Fitzgerald Fountain located at Vasudev Balwant Phadke Chowk near Metro Cinema Just five years after its grand restoration and reinstallation the paint on the wrought iron structure is peeling revealing whitish patches that mar its historic charmAccording to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC the fountainrsquos threeyear maintenance contract expired in March this year and is yet to be renewed In the absence of regular upkeep the fountainrsquos surface has deteriorated due to exposure to rainwater and the hard water previously used to operate it This has led to a wornout appearanceVisible brown streaks on the 157yearold Fitzgerald Fountain PicsAshish RajeCast in wrought iron the 16tonne monument dates back to 1867 and was originally erected to honour Sir Seymour Fitzgerald Governor of Bombay from 1867 to 1872 In 1960 the fountain was relocated to the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo as it bore the royal coat of arms mdash a symbol of British ruleIn 202021 BMCrsquos Heritage Cell undertook its restoration which included sandblasting oxidising and the application of a polyurethane coat to protect it from rust The structure was then brought back to its original location near Metro CinemaFrom 2022 to March 2025 a BMCappointed contractor handled the fountainrsquos upkeep However with the contract now lapsed the fountain has seen a decline in maintenanceThe iconic Fitzgerald Fountain at Metro Junction stands weathered as its maintenance contract lapsesA senior official from BMCrsquos Heritage Cell said ldquoEven a short lapse in daily maintenance can cause the surface to react to hard water All iron structures are preserved as per heritage norms In this case the twomonth gap in upkeep is responsible for the white patches We are also exploring ways to avoid using hard water in the fountainrdquoExpert SpeakSanjay Sawant independent heritage expert who formerly headed the Heritage Cell of BMC before he retired said ldquoAll heritage structures in Mumbai are subjected to wear and tear due to the weather and climatic conditions of the city The solution to this problem is intensive conservation and regular upkeep of the monuments Monuments made from the same or similar materials show much more durability in the climate conditions of Europe or the US The Fitzgerald Fountain is a very sturdy monument made of cast iron While we may see certain surface reactions its core material does not get spoiledrdquoWhite staining and wear on the fountainrsquos surface following a twomonth gap in upkeep PicsAshish RajeBharat Gothoskar founder of KHAKI Heritage Foundation said ldquoThe restoration of the Fitzgerald Fountain at Dhobi Talao is one of the most successful projects undertaken by the Heritage Cell of the BMC What most people fail to understand is that conservationrestoration is not a onetime project but a continuous process of monitoring and taking corrective action Let us hope that the problem is taken care of immediately by the authorities A stitch in time saves ninerdquoMore monuments on maintenance radar of civic bodyAlong with the Fitzgerald Fountain the BMC is set to reissue tenders for the upkeep of 19 other heritage monuments in A Ward These includegtgt Cooperage Fountaingtgt Kothari Pyaugtgt Flora Fountaingtgt Wellington Fountain located at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowkgtgt Ruttonsee Mulji Jetha Fountain at Ballard EstateDamage and deterioration on the cast iron structure caused by hard water and monsoon exposureAlso on the list are several historic statuesgtgt Pherozeshah Mehta outside BMC HQgtgt Cowasji Jehangir near Mumbai Universitygtgt Jamsetji Tata near Churchgategtgt Gopal Krishna Gokhale at Cross MaidanThese structures many of which are made using wrought iron and marble are over a century old and require regular specialised maintenance to preserve their heritage value