Buckingham Fountain

Buckingham Fountain is a Chicago Landmark in the center of Grant Park, between Queen's Landing and the end of Ida B. Wells Drive. Dedicated in 1927 and donated to the city by philanthropist Kate S. Buckingham, it is one of the largest fountains in the world. Built in a rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, its design allegorically represents nearby Lake 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.

History

The fountain area has been called Chicago's front door, since it is located in the center of Grant Park, the city's front yard near the intersection of Columbus Drive and Ida B. Wells Drive. The fountain itself represents Lake Michigan, with four sets of sea horses (two per set) symbolizing the four states—Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana—that border the lake. The fountain was designed by beaux arts architect Edward H. Bennett. The statues were created by the French sculptor Marcel F. Loyau. The design of the fountain was inspired by the ''Bassin de Latone'' and modeled after Latona Fountain at Versailles.

The fountain was donated to the city by Kate Sturges Buckingham in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham, and was constructed at a cost of $750,000. The fountain's official name is the ''Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain''. Kate Buckingham also established the Buckingham Fountain Endowment Fund with an initial investment of $300,000 to pay for maintenance. 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 many Chicago beaches and the Museum Campus in providing free Wi-Fi to visitors.

Operation

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 , and after dusk shows are choreographed with lights and music. The last show begins at 10:00 p.m. nightly.

The fountain is constructed of Georgia pink marble and contains of water. During a display, more than are pushed through its 193 jets. The bottom pool of the fountain is in diameter, the lower basin is , the middle basin is and the upper basin is . The lip of the upper basin is above the water in the lower basin.

The fountain's pumps are controlled by a Honeywell computer which was previously located in Atlanta, 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).

Renovations

In 1994, the fountain received a $2.8 million restoration to its three smallest basins which developed leaks due to Chicago's harsh winters.

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 the Lollapalooza music festival which is held annually near the fountain.

Phase I was dedicated April 3, 2009. 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 the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Phase II began in the winter of 2009. 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.

Phase III updates have not been scheduled until Phase II projects are 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.

In popular culture

Entertainment

Buckingham Fountain was featured in the title sequences of TV shows '' Married... with Children'' and '' Crime Story''.

The fountain was the starting point for the television show '' The Amazing Race 6'' in 2004 and was featured in a task 13 years later on '' The Amazing Race 29''.

Buckingham Fountain features in the 1949 film noir film Undertow, as the protagonist's meeting place.

Confusion with Route 66

Buckingham Fountain is often incorrectly identified as the eastern terminus of historic U.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 and Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. In a later alignment, the terminus was moved east several blocks through Grant Park to the intersection with Lake Shore Drive after the latter was designated as U.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). 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 the Fountain of the Great Lakes in the South Garden of the Art 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 going ''east'', 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 going ''west''.

Gallery

File:Buckingham Fountain through the Fence.jpg, Through the fence, 2009
File:Buckingham Fountain Grant Park Chicago.jpg, Night view, 2014
File:Chicago - Buckingham Fountain 3.jpg, Sea serpent, 2014
File:Buckingham Fountain in Chicago, USA.jpg, Skyline and serpent, 2010

See also

* History of fountains in the United States

References

External links

Chicago Landmarks: Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain and Garden

Chicago Park District: Buckingham Fountain

Restore Buckingham Fountain

{{Chicago Landmark memorials and monuments

1927 establishments in Illinois
Animal sculptures in Illinois
Buildings and structures completed in 1927
Buildings and structures in Chicago
Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago
Chicago Landmarks
Fountains in Illinois
Seahorses
Historic district contributing properties in Illinois
Sculptures of fish in the United States
Statues in Chicago
Zoomorphic fountains