A memorial constructed in the 1870s to honour a leading businessman of the Victorian era is today being restored to its original site in Victoria Square as an integral part of Multi Development UK Ltd’s £400 million Victoria Square regeneration scheme in Belfast. The return of the Jaffé Fountain is timed to coincide with the opening of Victoria Square.
The memorial was originally located in Victoria Square but in 1933 was moved to Botanic Gardens to a site on the embankment near King’s Bridge where it remained for more than 70 years, neglected and largely ignored. At the concept design stage of Victoria Square, Multi Development’s in-house architects, T+T Design, discovered the Fountain had been relocated, felt that it deserved to be restored and brought back to its original location as an central design feature of Victoria Square, juxtaposing old architecture and public realm with the new. Multi Development carried out the restoration and relocation in conjunction with the owners of the monument, Belfast City Council.
As part of the restoration process, in 2007, the monument was taken to England and subjected to a full-scale restoration. The extensive corrosion in the cast iron structure presented its own problems. The company carrying out the restoration work, Eura Conservation in Telford, had to dismantle it piece by piece because of its fragile condition. They described it as one of the most delicate monuments of its type that they had ever worked on. Extensive research and scientific analysis was carried out on the various layers of paint in order to uncover the original colours.
Commenting on the restoration, Paul Sargent, Multi Development UK’s Managing Director said: “Multi is thrilled to have restored a special chapter of Belfast’s architectural history to its rightful place in Victoria Square. Multi’s philosophy is to create environments that captivate people. With Victoria Square’s blend of different architectural styles, the restoration of an elegant historic monument and the splendid dome that is visible across the Belfast skyline, we are certain that we have not only fulfilled this philosophy but designed our best development to date here in Belfast.”
Belfast’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Jim Rodgers said: “I am delighted to see this monument of Belfast’s past returned to its historic site. It represents a link between the city’s Victorian entrepreneurship and the massive regeneration and renewal of energy we are seeing in Belfast today. The builders of the past created things to last and we in Belfast City Council are working to create new legacies for the future and attract new investment. The new Victoria Square development is certainly a major investment that we are glad to welcome and will become an added attraction and legacy for our city.”
Hugh Black, Centre Manager at Victoria Square said, “We’re delighted to see the Jaffé Fountain return to its original location at Victoria Square. It adds a brilliant feature to the scheme as it marries an historic symbol of Belfast’s industrial past with its modern future. I’ve no doubt that our visitors will love it and will fully embrace it when Victoria Square opens on March 6th.”
The fountain was originally constructed in honour of linen merchant Daniel Jaffé. It was commissioned by his sons, one of whom, Sir Otto Jaffé, was later to become Lord Mayor of Belfast. The Fountain stands as a fitting memorial to Daniel Jaffé and to his son Sir Otto Jaffé, two men whose initiative and enterprise contributed so much to the economic life of their adopted city.
Background
The Jaffé family came to Belfast in the middle of the 19th century. Daniel, his wife, Frederike, and nine children arrived from their native city of Hamburg in 1852. Among them was Otto, then just six years old, but who was destined to play an important part in the economic and cultural life of his adopted city.
While his father and the older boys set up a linen exporting company, Otto was educated at Mr Tate’s school in Holywood, and later in Hamburg and Switzerland. At the age of 21, he went to New York, where he remained for ten years, and where he met his future wife, Paula Hertz. They were married in 1879, and had two sons.
He returned to Belfast in 1877 to run the family business, which was located in Bedford Street, close to the city centre. He proved to be an astute businessman, and built up the company to the point where it was the largest linen exporter in Ireland.
Meanwhile, in 1874, Daniel Jaffé died in the south of France. His sons had him brought back to Belfast, and he was buried in the City Cemetery. Later that year, they erected the Jaffé Fountain in his memory.
In the years following his return from the United States, Otto Jaffé became closely involved in the life of Belfast’s Jewish community. His father Daniel had already established the synagogue of the Belfast Hebrew Congregation in Great Victoria Street; Otto subsequently became its life president. He also contributed most of the cost of a synagogue in Annesley Street, which was opened in 1904, while his wife Paula set up a school for Jewish children on the Cliftonville Road.
By this time Otto had become one of the city’s most prominent citizens. He was a member of Belfast Harbour Commissioners, a Justice of the Peace, a governor of the Royal Hospital, and a member of the Senate of Queen’s College, later Queen’s University. He was voted on to Belfast City Council in 1894, and five years later he was elected Lord Mayor of the city. As mayor, he launched an appeal for the dependants of soldiers fighting in the Boer War, which raised £10,000. He was knighted in March 1900. Four years later, as Sir Otto Jaffé, he was elected Lord Mayor of Belfast for a second time.
However, the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 led to an outbreak of anti-German sentiment. Even though his son and his nephew were serving in the British Army, Sir Otto was accused of being a German spy, and forced to resign his seat on Belfast City Council. As the war went on, the depth of this anti-German feeling intensified, to the point where in 1916, Sir Otto and his family were forced to leave Ulster altogether. He died in London in 1929.
Profile
Multi Development
Multi Development is a subsidiary of Multi Corporation, a leading company in Europe in the field of developing, owning and operating quality shopping centres, offices and mixed-use projects through its subsidiaries Multi Development, Multi Investment, Multi Asset Management and Multi Mall Management. With the backing of a Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund, Multi combines financial strength and investment capacity with its experience and proven track record as a developer of sustainable high quality projects. Multi is strongly committed to further growth and its strategy continues to be to carry out developments and investments in European countries where there is significant potential.
Across Europe, Multi’s inner city projects, shopping centres and business parks appeal to the imagination. The company’s ‘Design & Development’ formula places high priority on design quality. Multi’s own design group, T+T Design, works out all the planning, design and architectural concepts for its developments. Multi’s developments have achieved international recognition for their innovative nature, architectural flair, and urban connectivity. Its projects often act as the engine for the regeneration of an entire city or region. The company’s respect for local culture and style is paramount, and this makes it easy for people to connect with its projects with a sense of place.
Multi is active in more than 20 countries. The company’s head office is in the Netherlands and it has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
In the UK, Multi Development has 3 inner-city regeneration projects underway worth over £1bn; Victoria Square in Belfast (open Spring 2008); Summer Row, Wolverhampton (open 2010); SouthGate, Bath (open 2010).