The Fairfield Beautification Commission has received a 2026 Paint Iowa Beautiful award and plans to use it to give the city’s downtown gazebo its first significant makeover in years, the Fairfield City Council unanimously accepted Monday night, April 27th.
The award provides five gallons of paint at no cost, which Beautification Commission Chair Deborah Williamson said should be sufficient to cover the body of the gazebo. Currently, the gazebo has a single coat of white paint that Williamson estimated required two to three gallons to apply, making five gallons more than adequate for the new color. If additional paint is needed for any reason, the award certificate can be used to purchase more at the same price. The commission does not plan to use grant funds for trim colors, as the quantity needed for those smaller details would be minimal.
The gazebo has been white for as long as most Fairfield residents can remember — a tradition the commission is not abandoning, but thoughtfully updating. Rather than the existing stark white, Williamson said the plan is to move to a warmer cream color that will be more welcoming and cohesive with the character of downtown. Green trim is planned for the fascia, with a delicate coordinating trim on the columns designed to tie in with the gazebo’s copper-green roof. The railing color is still being discussed, with options including black or an oil-rubbed bronze finish similar to what is used elsewhere downtown.
Williamson was direct in her assessment of the current look. “Just imagine knowing as a designer that stark white and wrought iron are clashing colors for downtown. It doesn’t serve us to have these stark colors, they aren’t as welcoming,” she told the council. “What we’re going to be looking for is the right warm white, a cream, and some green trim for the fascia to tie in the beautiful copper-green roof that’s on the gazebo.”
Color selections are being coordinated with Main Street Fairfield Executive Director Jill Lane and Director Jake Schmidt of the Carnegie Museum to ensure the final product is consistent with the historic and aesthetic standards of the downtown district. Williamson said the collaboration is important given Fairfield’s Main Street Iowa designation, and that any changes to a prominent downtown structure like the gazebo should reflect a shared vision for the district.
Williamson said the finished product will still read as white at a glance but will carry a warmth and cohesion with its surroundings that the current color does not. “It’ll just be better,” she said. Mayor Connie Boyer agreed. “Sounds nice,” Boyer said.
The announcement drew significant reaction on social media, with the overwhelming majority of commenters expressing a preference for leaving the gazebo as it is. Responses ranged from simple calls to “leave it white” to more pointed remarks, with several residents arguing the city has bigger priorities. Some pushed back on the characterization of the change as dramatic, with one commenter noting that a light cream is essentially still a shade of white and that the gazebo is in need of fresh paint regardless. Others invoked tradition, with one resident saying the white gazebo with black wrought iron railings is iconic and looks especially striking when American flags are displayed on holidays.
A timeline for the painting project has not yet been announced.
