Functional repairs on the “Fountain of the Four Seasons” in front of the Memorial Union are being completed this fall, although the sculptures which enhance it will not be returned until the spring.

“The four Indian maidens had somewhat deteriorated because of the environment,” said Lynette Pohlman, director of the Brunnier Gallery.

Pohlman said the limestone sculptures of the Native American women, as well as the terra cotta artwork which normally rests between them, were shipped to Westport, Conn., for cleaning and repairs.

“It will take a while to get all the scales off,” Pohlman said. “We won’t expect them back until probably sometime in April.”

The limestone surrounding the pool was also damaged by weather, and parts of it are being recut and replaced.

A new stainless steel plumbing system is already in place, and a new pool lining should be installed this fall.

The fountain and fountainhead will be reinstalled Oct. 6-17.

The “Fountain of the Four Seasons” is one of more than 200 major works of art on campus, 16 of which are included in the current repair project by the university’s three museums: the Brunnier Gallery, Farmhouse Museum and Art on Campus.

“We’ve been working on this for a couple of years now,” Pohlman said.

She said the entire project will cost about $1 million. According to the Iowa State Web site, the fountain’s repairs will take approximately $200,000 of that total.

The fountain was originally completed in 1941 by Christian Petersen, an artist-in-residence at ISU who created 12 of the major art pieces on campus between 1934 and 1955.

Linda Merk-Gould, the Connecticut art conservator who is working on the fountain pieces, has maintained several of Petersen’s works over the years.