The revitilization of Nathan Phillips Square seems to be taking a little longer than we initially expected, arriving piecemeal rather than with one big bang. The latest installment in the NPS saga shot up last night as a series of fountains made their debut, much to the amusement of afternoon commuters and those looking for a refreshing mist after a hot September day. New UrbanToronto forum member defence5 happened to have his camera while passing by, and took some impressive shots of the new feature.

Illuminated fountains at Nathan Phillips Square, image courtesy of defence5

Seven-foot high fountain at Nathan Phillip Square, image courtesy of defence5

Similar to Yonge Dundas Square, the fountains are installed within the paving stones, encouraging kids (of all ages) to interact with the water features and use the revamped square. Making these fountains the new go-to spot to cool off will be the LED lights installed that brightly illuminate the seven-foot tall bursts of water in a variety of colours. Purples, greens, reds and yellows add to the increasingly-colourful complex — the exterior of City Hall has already had the lighting treatment, and Forum members report that similar LED lights will be installed within the larger fountain, to be used during the winter to underlight the skating rink.

Seven-foot high fountain at Nathan Phillip Square, image courtesy of defence5

Illuminated fountains at Nathan Phillips Square, image courtesy of defence5

The fountains are but one piece in the larger puzzle of the revitalization of Nathan Phillips Square, joining the new public pavilion, roof terrace, outdoor theatre and two-storey restaurant currently under construction. You can find all of the project renderings on the dataBase listing below.