The Neptune Fountain Restoration - Wonderful Once Again! By Contributor and Artist Lynne La Fleur
Putto with his head brace - photo courtesy of Lynne LaFleur
Early on the evening of Thursday, July 17, 2025, thanks to the generous support of the Palos Verdes Estates Foundation, community donors and long-time resident Maria Peters’ determination to bring the issue to light, the City of Palos Verdes Estates and its residents were at last able to celebrate the long anticipated restoration of the head of the putto (cherub) that straddles the north east upper corner of the Neptune Fountain pedestal. His head brace finally removed, he sits peacefully at Neptune’s feet cradling his dolphin. Quinn Construction undertook restoration of the marble façade and the inner plumbing of the fountain as well as installation of new LED lighting.
Putto’s head restored - photo courtesy of Lynne LaFleur
Such a reckless act of vandalism as his decapitation was, it is far from all the travails Neptune and his various adorning sea creatures have endured. The Neptune Fountain stands silently, centerpiece in the middle of an allée of trees at the heart of the Malaga Cove Plaza in Palos Verdes Estates, and what a strange life it has had.
The Back Story Vandalized and Neglected
The first Neptune statue was created in 1814 (a replica of the Bologna, Italy, La Fontana del Nettuno erected in 1563). It was purchased and shipped to Palos Verdes as part of the Palos Verdes Project, and was dedicated February 16, 1930.
But by May of 1987, the once majestic statue was in sad shape indeed when Morynne Motley chanced upon a small group from the California Historical Society led by Robert John Pierson of the University of Southern California. As Morynne walked the Plaza and noticed the group, she was shocked and embarrassed at the condition of the fountain and the surrounding areas of the Plaza. She pretended to be from Torrance. Robert Motley and Morynne had recently purchased what was then called the Syndicate Building, now the Del Portal Building, in the Plaza. She vowed, then and there, to gather support for the fountain and the Plaza’s restoration.
Morynne and the dedicated group of resident volunteers (too many to list here) steadfastly moved the project along. What seemed like an obvious win-win was met with obstacles and roadblocks from all corners including from the city itself. Not to be deterred, they persevered. The restoration took over a decade to complete.
Neptune torso neglected in the storage shed
Project President Jere Murray with Neptune’s head
The original 1814 statue had been so vandalized that it had to be dismantled in 1968 and was stored in a shipping crate in an unlocked shed. Over time, his head was stolen (miraculously returned after a reward was offered and assurance that no legal proceedings would be incurred), his legs, torso and fingers broken. The mermaids’ and putti heads had been lopped off and the inner workings of the fountain were rusted and corroded. The pedestal base had been drowned in asphalt as the parking lot had been resurfaced over time.
Team work during restoration
Neptune Fountain restored
Fundraising and Public Awareness
Morynne established ArtWatch, a publication of her own design sent to all residents to inspire awareness and gather support. Fundraising continued throughout the next 10 years: rummage sales, a Western Hoedown with an Old Town Saloon and jail, Pigs in the Plaza races, a VW raffle, and The Neptune Ball.
Surprisingly, there was much pushback to the addition of the double rows of trees and the brick walkways branching out to the east and west from the fountain. The underlying assessment of those in favor was that Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., renowned father of modern landscape architecture and city planning and the Palos Verdes Project’s Master Planner, would have intended trees. After all, he was instrumental in the preservation of the California coastal redwoods in Northern California. He would never have left Neptune and his four mermaids and putti standing alone surrounded by cars and black top. And so it became a reality at last, the restoration was completed and dedicated September 12, 1998.
Neptune Fountain before landscaping
Plaza under construction
Tree Planting
Plaza tree-lined brick walkway landscape completed
Morynne continued to champion enhancements to the Plaza throughout her life. And restoration of the Neptune Fountain continues to this day. As residents, we are stewards of this beautiful fountain. May we protect it and keep it from harm.
Inevitably, the question arises, “Did he or Didn’t he?” And that, dear reader, is for you to discover. This article is drawn from “Almost Wonderful, The Malaga Cove Plaza Restoration Project” written by Ann Hugh from Morynne Motley’s correspondence. The answer lies within. This book is an invaluable resource and the definitive account of the history of the restoration of the Neptune Fountain from 1987 through 1998. I had the privilege of working on the book’s design with Lloyd Greenlund.
All photos unless otherwise noted are courtesy of the Palos Verdes Library District history archives. The book “Almost Wonderful: The Malaga Cove Plaza Restoration Project” by Ann Hugh along with photographs of the project may be found at the Palos Verdes Library District.
Lynne LaFleur attended Malaga Cove School, Lunada Bay Elementary, and Chadwick School, received her BFA from Pratt Art Institute in Brooklyn and has lived in New York City, Colorado and Northern California before returning to Palos Verdes in the late 1980s.
For more information, please contact Lynne at “lynnelf1@gmail.com”- The Centennial Celebration poster and all the individual illustrations (both as fine art giclée prints and as educational posters) are available for purchase from her website: www.lynnelafleur.com Facebook: LynneLaFleurArtist Instagram: “lynnelf1”