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Montreal’s newest ornamental fountain, in downtown Dorchester Square, is a head-turner.

Ten metres tall, its three cast-aluminum basins are semi-circles, with one side completely flat. From the square, it’s a graceful Victorian-inspired fountain. Seen from the side, it appears to have been sliced in half.

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Adding to the quirkiness: affixed to the flat side, two-thirds of the way up, is a 19-inch aluminum statue of a pileated woodpecker, its flaming red crest contrasting with the green fountain.

Nearby, two new footbridges contribute to the whimsical nature of the almost-complete $8.9-million renovation and expansion of the northern part of Dorchester Square, across from the city’s main tourism office and a few steps from Ste-Catherine St.

Photo by Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette

The arched, metal-and-wood bridges, which rise above ramps in and out of an underground parking garage, are not particularly utilitarian, as pedestrians can simply walk around the ramps.