Few public structures have more romantic appeal than fountains. From the Trevi Fountain in Italy to the fountains at the Palace of Versailles in France, there is something timeless and elegant about fountains that grants them a special place in the civic life of a city.
Fountains can be found in parks, in plazas and in malls. There are outdoor fountains as well as indoor fountains; classically influenced fountains and fountains devoid of any ornamentation whatsoever.
The purpose of the fountain varies. It can be strictly decorative or it can be practical; sometimes both.
Fountains frequently serve a social purpose as well. People have a natural tendency to congregate around them, especially during the hot summer months when dipping one’s fingers in a fountain’s cool waters is often too tempting to dismiss.
In some countries, fountains had very strong religious connotations. In ancient Greece, springs were considered sacred and thus shrines were built around them.
There are various types of fountains. In the natural fountain, the pressure comes from the weight of water collected in a reservoir or from its temperature or both. On the other hand, the water in an artificial fountain usually flows through an underground passage until it is released-pumps supply the pressure.
Fountains are often appreciated strictly for their aesthetic value, which is not surprising because they have formed an important element of design of public buildings since ancient times. The ancient Greeks, for example, created statues of beautiful gods and goddesses cavorting in the gentle waters of a fountain. Architects who designed fountains often received the respect and appreciation of society.
And no less a great artist than Leonardo da Vinci reportedly designed fountains.
Fountains also feature prominently in our own collective folklore. Several centuries ago, the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon began his search for the legendary “fountain of youth” in what is now Florida. It was said that drinking from the waters of this mythical fountain would restore youthly vigor to the old. The potent effects of water and its dual qualities-its healing force as the bringer of life as well as its destructive force as the destroyer of life-have long fascinated us, especially when the Mighty Mississippi is dominating the nightly news.
And who, especially during the hot days of a Chicago summer, can help but succumb to the fountain’s cool charms?
Chicago has a number of fountains, some elaborate like Buckingham Fountain, others smaller but just as charming. Many, if not most, are architecturally significant. Fountains in Chicago are, for the most part, decorative and ornamental. They add a touch of sophistication to the city’s endless pageant.
Here is a guide to some of them:
Without a doubt the most famous fountain in the city is Buckingham Memorial Fountain. Modeled after the Latona Basin in Louis XIV’s gardens at Versailles-although it is almost double the original’s size-Buckingham Fountain was said to be the world’s largest decorative fountain when it was dedicated on Aug. 26, 1927, before an estimated crowd of 50,000 onlookers.
Buckingham Fountain was donated to the city by Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother Clarence, a trustee and benefactor of the Art Institute. When it was unveiled that Friday night in August, Kate Buckingham herself attended the ceremonies. The music of John Philip Sousa and his band entertained the crowd.
The fountain consists of three circular basins made of Georgia pink marble that is carved in a classical, Beaux-Arts style. The fountain, which is said to symbolize Lake Michigan, is 280 feet in diameter and contains four identical pairs of bronze sea horses, representing the four states that border Lake Michigan. The sea horses were designed by Marcel Loyau, a Parisian sculptor.
At capacity speed, Buckingham Fountain can circulate 1 1/2 million gallons of water through 133 jets at the rate of 15,000 to 16,000 gallons per minute, depending on the wind. The jets can reach as high as 200 feet in the air, according to Bart Ryckbosch, archivist for the Chicago Park District.
Watching the colorful green, blue, red, amber and white water displays has become a Chicago summertime ritual. The water show is completely computerized (the fountain’s control room receives instructions via telephone link from Honeywell Corp. in Atlanta). The show takes place every night from 9 to 11 from May 1 through Sept. 30.
Nearby is the Grant Park Rose Garden, which was established in 1963 by the Chicago Horticultural Society and the Chicago Park District. Four small fountain sculptures-with charming names such as “The Fisher Boy” or “The Crane Girl”- decorate each corner of the rose garden.
Another impressive fountain is the Centennial Plaza and Fountain on the north bank of the Chicago River near North Pier. Dedicated on June 30, 1989, on land donated by the Chicago Dock and Canal Trust, the $3.5 million plaza and fountain honors the employees of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and celebrates, according to the plaque, “their commitment to the protection of clean water in Lake Michigan and the River System.”
To prevent pollution of the lake, the Chicago Sanitary District was established in 1889, and a system of canals was built to reverse the flow of the Chicago River away from the lake.
Additional plaques briefly describe the city’s history and the role that the Metropolitan Sanitary District played.
Centennial Fountain symbolizes the waters of the Chicago area, “which flow east through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, and west to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.”
The fountain itself, designed by the well-known architectural firm of Lohan Associates, consists of a 125-foot-long granite structure and a water arc. The arc, which originates from the base of the fountain, pumps some 2,000 gallons of water a minute 80 feet into the air. The arc “show” itself runs for 10 minutes every hour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 11 p.m.
Like the classical fountains of Europe, several Chicago fountains are architecturally significant in their own right.
One of the most impressive of the city’s indoor fountains can be found at the 311 S. Wacker Drive building, a short walk from the Sears Tower, in the of the downtown business district. “Gem of the Lakes,” designed in 1990 by Washington, D.C., artist Raymond Kaskey, is arguably the finest indoor fountain sculpture in the city. Located in the building’s glass-enclosed, 12,000-square foot, 85-foot-tall Wintergarden pavilion, the bronze sculpture plays up Chicago’s connection with water and specifically the special role the city has in the history of the Great Lakes. The figure of an almost naked, bearded man with a windblown drape-he resembles the ancient gods of Greece and Rome-and shell-shaped pearls on either side sit atop a two-tier fountain, complete with two small waterfalls. In addition, the entire display is almost surrounded by 40-foot-tall palm trees and additional foliage.
Farther east at Michigan Avenue and Adams Street, the Art Institute of Chicago houses a little-known gem. The Triton Fountain, designed by the renowned Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, is in the museum’s Alexander McKinlock Memorial Court. The fountain features four half-human, half-amphibious figures frolicking in a reflecting pool and, according to the late historian Ira S. Bach, is a variation of a Milles sculpture at his native Lidingo, an island near Stockholm. One can enjoy a nice leisurely lunch at the Garden Restaurant while admiring Milles’ artistic genius.
Because of the remodeling of the Art Institute’s Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, the Stanley McCormick Garden will be closed for several months and conceivably, says an Art Institute spokeswoman, until as late as October. Even so, you can still catch a glimpse of Lorado Taft’s wonderful sculpture, “Fountain of the Great Lakes,” if you peek through the fence. Located in the south wing of the Art Institute, east of Michigan Avenue near Jackson Boulevard, the fountain sculpture consists of five female figures that represent the five Great Lakes and is one of a handful of works in Chicago by Taft, an important and influential American sculptor. Unfortunately, the fountain itself is not expected to be turned back on until next May.
Heald Square, another work by Taft, is a lovely oasis consisting of an oval-shaped fountain and a plaza that forms an island at the busy intersection of State Street and Wacker Drive. The massive figures of three Revolutionary War patriots-Robert Morris, George Washington and Haym Salomon-stand at the base of the complex. Designed by Taft but completed by Leonard Crunelle upon Taft’s death in 1936, the sculpture was dedicated on Dec. 15, 1941, the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, and rededicated by the American Masonic Heritage Council on Oct. 6, 1962.
Nearby, at the corner of Wabash Avenue and Wacker Drive, is the Children’s Fountain, a charming and rather old-fashioned fountain decorated with solemn-faced cherubs and birds with outstretched wings. Three circular basins-each increasingly smaller than the other-add a nice classical touch.
Leaving the central district behind and traveling north to Lincoln Park, you will come across “Storks at Play,” a fountain sculpture located opposite the Lincoln Park Conservatory Garden. It is also known as the Bates Fountain, in honor of its donor, a Mr. Eli Bates, who was a partner in a Chicago lumber firm. The sculpture, designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Frederick William MacMonnies, consists of half-boy, half-fish bronze figures playing with fish in a shallow circular pool as a number of elegantly crafted birds spread their wings.
Fountain Square, at the corner of Orrington Avenue and Davis Streets in downtown Evanston, consists of a modern fountain (which was turned off temporarily because of minor maintenance work on our visit), a plaza and several memorial columns commemorating Evanston residents who died in wars-the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The pillar honoring World War II veterans is the tallest and the most elaborate of the memorials, consisting of two bronze tablets.
Fountain Square Park was dedicated on July 4, 1976, and erected by the Evanston Bicentennial Commission, largely through individual and corporate contributions. Several years ago the original fountain-older and more classically influenced-was moved to the Merrick Rose Garden at Lake Street and Oak Avenue, also in the northern suburb. The rose garden with its fountain is worth a visit all by itself.
