The Restored Fink Fountain Unveiled

Pat Adams, Chair, Cranbrook in Bloom and Jenny Humphrey, Project Manager

The Fink Fountain in the Centennial Garden was rededicated to the memory of Jacob Pius Fink and Zeljko Kujundzic yesterday.

ManWoman speaks of knowing Zeljko Kujundzic and working on this project with him

The Fink Fountain has both historical and artistic significance for the city of Cranbrook. It was originally unveiled in Baker St’s Central Park in 1959(location of the original Court House) as a memorial to Jacob Fink, Cranbrook’s’ third Mayor, first Fire Chief and owner of the Fink Mercantile. Zeljko Kujundzik received the commission to both design and build this project for which he was paid $2350.00. The Fink family raised most of these funds. Zeljko Kujundzic (1920 –2003) had just taken up his first position as a High School teacher in Canada, teaching at the Cranbrook High School.

This commission was one of Kujundzic’s first works in Canada. He went on to be a founder and director of the Nelson School of Art and later became a Professor at Pennsylvania State University. The Thunderbird sculptures atop the poles at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium are his work. Zeljko Kujundzic became an internationally known artist completing many sculptures, prints and paintings and Cranbrook can be proud to possess two of his works, this fountain and plaques at the Cranbrook Regional Hospital. After its original placement on Baker Street’s Central Park, this fountain was located for a few years next to City Hall and then for many years in Rotary Park until the Spirit Square Project required its removal in 2008.

Zeljko Kujundzik was responsible for the entire fountain comprising of the hand-poured white cement, which contained white marble dust obtained from Boswell. The hand raised copper plaques which were placed around the pedestal of the fountain depicted Kootenay scenes as well as the memorial to Jacob Fink. The copper fish originally spewed water into the bowl of the fountain. The sculptures on the fountain today were cast from moulds of the original art work and the original copper sculptures, all but one, are stored in a safe location. One of the original plaques went missing a number of years ago but because an original photograph of Kujundzic’s sketch was obtained, a replication was made possible. All the replication work and much restoration was undertaken by locally well-known sculptor Reg Parsons.

Cranbrook in Bloom undertook to coordinate this restoration as the fountain is a fitting central sculpture for the Centennial Garden, planted with ‘Karl Foerster’ Grasses, which represent the grassland of our valley. The waving mass of grasses in full bloom represents the many lakes or rivers in the area and the fish sculptures are a tribute to the many fish, which leap from those watery surfaces.

Many Thanks go to those who made this project possible:
City of Cranbrook
Trikon Concrete
Downtown Business Association
Community Initiatives
Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance
Falkins Insurance
Sunrise Rotary
Cranbrook in Bloom Committee Members



from the left
Reg Parsons, sculptor, DianaJ. Scott, Councillor, Grant Tulloch, Cranbrook in Bloom, Jenny Humphrey, Cranbrook in Bloom, Pat Adams, Cranbrook in Bloom, A.J. Brekke, Cranbrook in Bloom, Jim Wavrecan, Councillor, Jan Gordon Hooker and Glo Hoeschman, Cranbrook in Bloom, ManWoman