A gift to a lasting place
The Ruggles Fountain stands on the western side of Gramercy Park. Its recent restoration included replacement stonework and repairs to return it to working order.
In October 2025, the Trustees announced that rehabilitation had begun under restoration architect Thomas Fenniman, with approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The work was fully funded by a gift from the Chairman of the Trustees.
Repairing how it works, as well as how it looks
The announced approach called for disassembling the fountain, making new patterns and raising its base by approximately seven inches to improve stability and water flow. Matching marble was to come from the original Tennessee quarry, helping replacement pieces sit comfortably alongside the historic material.
The timetable depended on the cutting and delivery of the stone.
A fountain working again
By June 2026, the Gramercy Park Block Association’s seasonal neighborhood letter reported that the fountain had been brought back to working order. The update placed it alongside the Trustees’ restoration of the East and West gates and the caretaking team’s work on benches, planting and the gardener’s cottage.
Those projects belong to the Trustees and the Park team. Outside the fence, the same newsletter described the Block Association’s separate work repairing tree-garden fences and litter receptacles and maintaining the public streetscape.
The name behind the landmark
Samuel B. Ruggles established Gramercy Park in 1831. The fountain’s renewal connects a present-day act of generosity with the long responsibility of caring for that place.
Explore the founding vision or read about earlier restoration of the Park’s historic fabric.
Sources
Adapted from published updates by the Trustees and the Block Association.