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Showalter Fountain Restoration

More than 20 years after its mysterious disappearance following Indiana University's NCAA men's basketball championship in 1987, the stone fish missing from Bloomington's Showalter Fountain has been re-created and mounted in its original space. The replacement fish rests on blankets before installation.

Jim Schmalenberg of Venus Bronze Works checks the level where the base of one of the fish meets the plumbing.

A crew drills holes at the base of the sculpture to secure it to a water fixture.

The crew hoists the fish into place.

Sculptor Scott Slocum checks the position of the replacement fish.

Bolts rest on the edge of the fountain as workers continue to make repairs.

The fountain is draped in plastic before additional restoration is conducted.

Sculptor Robert Laurent works on the original piece in this photo from IU Archives.

A photo from the original dedication of the fountain from IU Archives.

The new fish sprays a jet of water into the air after restorations are complete.