CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Cheyenne’s recently restored Airport Fountain is ready to represent the city’s aviation history.
On Saturday, Sept. 9, dozens of community members flocked to the fountain, which is located at the corner of East 8th Street and Warren Avenue, to celebrate its completion. The event also acknowledged the grand opening of the city’s designated Arts and Aviation Center, which is located at the original passenger terminal on nearby 8th Street and House Avenue.
The terra-cotta fountain was commissioned by the city in 1935 to memorialize the heritage of aviation in Cheyenne. Located in front of the terminal, the fountain created a formal entrance to the airport. In 1985, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board, or CHPB, had a landscape study done in 2009 as the fountain was being threatened with demolition. Since the initial study, the board has restored the landmark over two phases of work for a total cost of $132,684. Restoration efforts, which were completed in 2022, included replacing old tiles, updating the masonry and upgrading the plumbing and lighting systems. Funding for the project came from the city’s Planning and Development Office, CHPB’s private fundraising events and several grants including the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund and Women’s Civic League. In October 2022, CHPB members launched a successful petition to officially name the median strip Airport Fountain Park.
In May 2023, local arts organization Arts Cheyenne received a $50,000 Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The funds will be used to conduct a visioning and design initiative for renovating the circa-1961 terminal into an arts, culture and aviation history facility.
During Saturday’s ceremony, CHPB Chair Milward Simpson and members Gary Sims and Don Herrold recapped the board’s multiple-year efforts to preserve and restore the fountain. They also recalled the city’s colorful aviation history, which included being one of the first U.S Post Office air mail service stops in 1920 and hosting the nation’s first stewardesses training program in 1930.
Cheyenne architect Jerry Berggren and contractors from the Colorado-based Mountain Masonry also spoke about the the specialized restoration process. The ceremony concluded with a 10-second countdown to welcome back the fountain’s iconic spouts. Attendees then took photos and enjoyed the cool mist from the water.
Milward Simpson, chairman of the Cheyenne Historical Preservation Board, cuts pieces of cake at the fountain dedication. (Photo by Stephanie Lam / Cap City News)
Simpson said he is “gratified and proud” that the fountain is finally finished.
“I think it’s really important that the citizens of Cheyenne understand just how important our aviation history is and what a special and unique part [it is] of who we are in this city,” he said.
The board plans to also incorporate interpretative signage near the fountain highlighting historical aviation figures and events, Simpson said. One person the board has in mind is Ellen Church, who became the world’s first female flight attendant after flying from San Francisco to Cheyenne.
An ornament of the Cheyenne Historic Airport Fountain made by Gary Sims. (Photo by Stephanie Lam / Cap City News)
Although the fountain was closed off for years, CHPB continued to promote the landmark. Sims, for instance, created a nostalgic limited-edition ornament of the fountain in 2021. All of the proceeds went toward the restoration project.
“I put bubbles coming off of it because in high school everybody use to go [put detergent] in there and let it bubble over,” he said. “There’s also a hypodermic needle because it was during COVID … and a piece of a tile from the original fountain on the back.”
Seeing the fountain up and running also means a lot for local airplane enthusiast Jonathan Lemley and his family. Lemley own multiple Cessna planes that were on display at the old terminal during the center’s opening. The pilot is fascinated with aviation history and likes to seek out fountains, museums or historical markers when he travels.
“We’re obsessed with the airport, airplanes and everything,” he said. “It’s pretty neat watching them go through [the restoration process]. [The fountain’s] calming to me, it’s something unique to Cheyenne that people can stop to look at.”
