SAVANNAH, Ga. () – Savannah’s most iconic landmark, the Forsyth Fountain, is embarking on a journey of 320 miles to east Alabama for its first thorough restoration in nearly four decades.

Savannah officials are calling the project “preventative maintenance” to keep the nearly 150-year-old monument operational and beautiful.

It is now in the hands of restoration company Robinson Iron Corporation based out of Alexander City, Ala.

Robinson Iron previously restored the fountain in 1988.

“We’re disassembling it bit by bit,” explained Robinson Iron engineer Luke Robinson. “Many people are unaware that this fountain is assembled much like Legos, but larger and heavier. The statuary is removed first, followed by the bowl beneath it and the stem.”

When the parts arrive at Robinson Iron they will be inspected by engineers.

“Each piece will be taken apart. We’ll sandblast them down to bare metal before evaluating which can be reused,” Robinson continued. “If any component requires replacement, we will recast it. We have the means to craft a new pattern if necessary. The restoration will involve either replacing or repairing each part as needed.”

Replumbing, recasting and repainting are the main fixtures.

The paint job is especially tedious, as years of layered paint have made the fountain appear deteriorated according to engineers.

“The fountain is so gorgeous, but it has layers and years of paint on it, so we need to get those off,” said Robinson. “As you continue to put paint on it, it begins to fill in those cracks that really give it the third dimension, So the goal will be to get all of that off and make it look like it was originally intended to.

Crews should finish up the dismantling and loading in Savannah within two days.

The restoration itself should last until the fall.