Buckingham Fountain | |
 Buckingham Fountain inGrant Park | |
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| Location | Chicago |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°52′33″N87°37′08″W / 41.875792°N 87.618944°W /41.875792; -87.618944 |
| Area | Downtown Chicago |
| Built | 1927; 98 years ago (1927) |
| Architect | Bennett, Edward H.;Loyau, Marcel Francois |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts, Art Decomo |
| Part of | Grant Park (ID92001075) |
| Added to NRHP | July 21, 1993 |
Buckingham Fountain is aChicago Landmark in the center ofGrant Park, betweenQueen's Landing and the end ofIda B. Wells Drive. Dedicated in 1927 and donated to the city by philanthropistKate S. Buckingham, it is one of the largest fountains in the world. Built in arococo wedding cake style and inspired by theLatona Fountain at thePalace of Versailles, its design allegorically represents nearbyLake Michigan. The fountain operates generally from mid-April to mid-October, with regular water-jet displays and evening colored-light shows. During the winter, the fountain is decorated with festival lights.
Thefountain area has been called Chicago's front door, since it is located in the center ofGrant Park, the city's front yard near the intersection of Columbus Drive and Ida B. Wells Drive. The fountain itself representsLake Michigan, with four sets of sea horses (two per set) symbolizing the four states—Illinois,Wisconsin,Michigan andIndiana—that border the lake. The fountain was designed bybeaux arts architectEdward H. Bennett. The statues were created by the French sculptorMarcel F. Loyau. The design of the fountain was inspired by theBassin de Latone and modeled afterLatona Fountain atVersailles.
The fountain was donated to the city byKate Sturges Buckingham in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham, and was constructed at a cost of $750,000. The fountain's official name is theClarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain. Kate Buckingham also established the Buckingham FountainEndowment Fund with an initial investment of $300,000 to pay for maintenance.[1] Buckingham Fountain was dedicated on August 26, 1927.
In August 2016, in a partnership with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Parks District and Everywhere Wireless, the Buckingham Fountain viewing area joined manyChicago beaches and theMuseum Campus in providing freeWi-Fi to visitors.[2]
Many tourists and Chicagoans visit the fountain each year. The fountain operates from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily, typically from early May through mid-October, depending on weather. Water shows occur every hour on-the-hour and last 20 minutes. During shows, the center jet shoots up vertically to 150 feet (46 m), and after dusk shows are choreographed with lights and music. The last show begins at 10:00 p.m. nightly.[1]
The fountain is constructed of Georgia pink marble and contains 1.5 million U.S. gallons (5,700,000 L) of water. During a display, more than 14,000 U.S. gallons per minute (0.88 m3/s) are pushed through its 193 jets. The bottom pool of the fountain is 280 ft (85 m) in diameter, the lower basin is 103 ft (31 m), the middle basin is 60 ft (18 m) and the upper basin is 24 ft (7.3 m). The lip of the upper basin is 25 ft (7.6 m) above the water in the lower basin.
The fountain's pumps are controlled by aHoneywell computer which was previously located inAtlanta,Georgia, until the 1994 renovation when it was moved to the pump house of the fountain. The fountain's security system is monitored from Arlington Heights (a Chicago suburb).[1]
In 1994, the fountain received a $2.8 million restoration to its three smallest basins which developed leaks due to Chicago's harsh winters.[3]
The latest renovation project on Buckingham Fountain began in September 2008. This three-phase project modernized aging internal systems in the fountain and restored deteriorated features. Funding was a combination from the Buckingham endowment, city and park district funds and a grant from theLollapalooza music festival which is held annually near the fountain.[3]
Phase I was dedicated April 3, 2009.[4] This phase included permeable pavers to surround the fountain. This replaced the crushed stone that was used since the fountain was constructed. The pavers make a safer and smoother surface and complies with theAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Phase II was planned to begin in the winter of 2009.[5] This phase included the demolition of the fountain table, installation of extensive underdrainage system, new landscaping, site lighting, signs, site furnishings, sewer system, selective demolition within or adjacent to the fountain's outer basin, repairs of some existing cast-in-place concrete elements and installation of new cast-in-place elements. Work was not completed due to lack of funds and the Chicago Park District has not announced when it expects to finish this phase.[6]
Phase III updates have not been designed and won't begin until Phase II is completed. This phase will include the restoration of Buckingham Fountain and fountain table, the construction of a new equipment room with selective demolition, structural construction and repair, masonry restoration and repair, mechanical and electrical work, bronze restoration and repair and installation of site improvements and amenities.
Buckingham Fountain was featured in the title sequences of TV showsMarried... with Children andCrime Story.[7]
The fountain was the starting point for the television showThe Amazing Race 6 in 2004 and was featured in a task 13 years later onThe Amazing Race 29.[7][8][9]
Buckingham Fountain features in the 1949film noir filmUndertow, as the protagonist's meeting place.
Buckingham Fountain is often incorrectly identified as the eastern terminus of historicU.S. Route 66 (the road west to Southern California), but, although near, it was not the end point of that historic route. The original eastern terminus was nearby at the intersection of Jackson Boulevard andMichigan Avenue in downtownChicago. In a later alignment, the terminus was moved east several blocks throughGrant Park to the intersection withLake Shore Drive after the latter was designated asU.S. Route 41. It remained there until the eastern terminus of Interstate 55 was completed at Lake Shore Drive, and then that also became the eastern terminus of Route 66 until I-55 completely replaced the route in Illinois and U.S. 66 was decommissioned (in 1985).[7] Nevertheless, many people still associate Buckingham Fountain with the start of Route 66, even though it had not been built yet when the route opened on November 11, 1926 — whereas theFountain of the Great Lakes in the South Garden of theArt Institute of Chicago, which has been near the intersection of Jackson and Michigan since 1913, actually preceded Route 66 by 13 years and Buckingham Fountain by 14 years. Because Jackson is now a one way street goingeast, the historic commemorative signs for Route 66 now show "End" at Jackson near Michigan, but "Begin" is moved one block north to Adams Street (in front of the Art Institute), which is a one-way goingwest.
