One of the most iconic landmarks in Geneseo has been badly damaged.
The 128-year old Emmeline Austin Wadsworth Fountain, more commonly known as "the Bear in the square" was wrecked in an accident involving a truck this morning.
The fountain was installed in 1888 when brothers Herbert and William Austin Wadsworth commissioned it as a memorial to their mother Emmeline. She was a passionate animal lover, so her sons had the fountain created as a watering stop for horses.
The fountain was designed by renowned architect Richard Morris Hunt, who designed the base of the Statue of Liberty.
The bronze bear clutching a lamp post at the center of the fountain was toppled, but Geneseo town supervisor William Wadsworth says the bear seems to be intact, according to the photos he has viewed.
Wadsworth says he has no doubt that the iconic fountain will be repaired.
Here's more on the history of the statue from SUNY Geneseo.
