As EVG first reported at the time, the fountain arrived here in August 1891, when people were squandering their money on 5-cent cups of coffee.
Read about the history of the fountain here.
This is sad. They've essentially defaced the granite of this historic monument in the park. You would think someone in the Park's Department would be regulating how they "maintain" significant cultural artifacts in our parks. They shouldn't be painting over stone monuments and fountains.