Mobile’s Bienville Square will be closed for renovations for several months starting Monday, Aug. 21, the city announced Wednesday.

Since Hurricane Sally felled some of the park’s oak trees and damaged others in September 2020, the park has mostly been open to the public — albeit without its green canopy of oak leaves and its central feature, the huge cast-iron Ketchum Fountain, which was disassembled and sent away for refurbishment.

When fencing goes up early next week, it’ll set the stage for $3.2 million in improvements: upgraded lighting, walkways, bluestone pavers, landscaping, the addition of a seat wall that will wind like a ribbon through the park and the reinstallation of the fountain.

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“Bienville Square is one of the most recognizable locations in Mobile and one of the primary gathering spaces in our historic downtown,” said Mayor Sandy Stimpson, quoted in a press release issued by his administration. “We are very excited to begin these improvements and can’t wait to see a revitalized Ketchum Fountain back in the center of this beautiful park. Once this project is completed, Mobilians and downtown stakeholders will like what they see.”

The city says the project “is projected to reach substantial completion by the end of 2023,” though some portions of the work may continue into early 2024. The city will reopen the square to the public “as soon as it can be accessed safely.”

According to the city, the renovations are being funded through the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District. Local contractor JPayne Organization LLC will be leading the project on behalf of the City of Mobile.

Related:

Mobile’s historic Bienville Square battered by Sally’s winds

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