COVER STORY
25
in creating a vibrant historical
downtown.
The rounded female form
of Abundance, the centerpiece
of a fountain in Haney
Circle at the intersection of
Colorado Avenue and Osceola
Street, was purchased
by the community for the
community under the leadership
of the Stuart Woman’s
Club in 1949. The statue by
Manya Kanolei was selected
by French officials for exhibition
at the 1939 New York
ED GLUCKLER
At right, the statue Abundance, originally
intended for exhibition at the 1939 World’s Fair,
now stands as a proud symbol of downtown’s
vitality. Above, the statue lay neglected behind
the old city garage on South Flagler between
moves.
World’s Fair, but the possibility
of World War II made it
impossible for the French to
participate. Aura Fike Jones, president of the Woman’s Club, learned
through her son, who lived in New York City, that the statue could
be acquired by paying its storage bill. The original plan was for it to
be placed in Haney Circle, but the statue was instead installed beside
the Martin County Courthouse until courthouse expansion led to
its being moved to Memorial Park. Finally, in 1991, Abundance was
placed in a newly constructed fountain in Haney Circle as part of the
revitalization of Historic Downtown Stuart.
SAILFISH FOUNTAIN
The New Roosevelt Bridge, completed in 1997, required the demolition
of a number of historic buildings on the Potsdam side of the
Florida East Coast Railway tracks. However, something happened
>>