Fountain Square 

HISTORY 

Welcome to Fountain Square. Chances are you opened this website to learn about the Fountain Square Mall and its history. The story of this building has traces back to the 1960s, and it is a major part in Bloomington history. 

Back in the 1960s and 70s Bloomington faced a problem of people, families, and big business moving out of the city. This was because lots of buildings were getting really old, making them unstable. By the early 1980s community leaders like CFC properties and Cook Real Estate took lead and put in place the anchor project. This was a major renovation of downtown Bloomington. The project was to do over 10 buildings and it started with one that was once occupied by Tovey Shoes. This building is now home to Vue Precision Eye Care, and it is one of the oldest buildings that was part of the original renovation. 

Another building in this process includes a jail that was moved locations so the building could be part of the mall. The east side of the mall is, to this day, painted pink. This iconic look on the building is because of the pink walls in the jail that people believed would calm occupants. 

Over four years ten buildings had been merged into one. A large gathering was held on September 10, 1988 and many citizens including people from CFC and Cook as well as local spectators joined for the grand opening of Fountain Square. The mall is now open to the public with many stores across 1300,000 square feet of downtown Bloomington.  

ROLE IN  COMMUNITY

Fountain Square has such an important connection to Bloomington historically, but also plays a role in the present community. When visiting the mall you'll notice that they have lots of small local shops throughout the building. Some local businesses include By Hand Gallery, O’Child Children's Boutique, Kirkwood Candle Bar, and Mirth Market. It's amazing to have all these local shops that are supported by the Fountain Square Mall. The Fountain Square Mall is also part of a local gallery walk. During this walk 14 local art galleries around Bloomington stay open for a tour to the public. 

In addition to providing sight towards all the local businesses there, Fountain Square also hosts many events for the community. They host events in their own building and rent out the ballrooms. One of the major events is that they play host to Santa and Mrs. Claus during the holidays. The event is open to the public as a free experience for all ages. While Fountain Square is not hosting their own events, they also help with some of Bloomington's own local events. Around the start of the holidays many miles of lights are strung surrounding the old courthouse, and this is called Canopy of Lights. When the first Canopy of Lights celebration happened CFC properties (the owners of Fountain Square mall)  paid for the original lights. In addition, they also now pay for the electricity to keep the lights on every winter. As an endnote, they are also known for exceptional customer service!