List of fountains in the Kansas City metropolitan area
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The list of fountains in the Kansas City metropolitan area contains those now officially recognized by the City of Fountains Foundation. The trend began in the late 1800s with humanitarian public drinking water projects in Kansas City, Missouri, and this identity has influenced
fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...
s across the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 1992, the city of Kansas City, Missouri added "City of Fountains" to its official corporate seal.1992 ordinance enacting new logo
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Overview

Water fountains are part of Kansas City's core identity and culture, including a graphic design of a stylized fountain in the city's official logo. Interest in fountains arose during the
City Beautiful movement The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...
in the 1890s. In 1898,
George Kessler George Edward Kessler (July 16, 1862 – March 20, 1923) was an American pioneer city planner and landscape architect. Over the course of his forty-one year career, George E. Kessler completed over 200 projects and prepared plans for 26 comm ...
, a landscape architect and urban planner, designed the first fountain built by the city of Kansas City, Missouri at 15th and The Paseo. Another fountain that he designed the same year is now known as The Women's Leadership Fountain, and is located at 9th Street and The Paseo as the oldest in the city. The design originally included an oval, cut limestone basin with water spraying upward from nozzles in the center of its pool surrounded by a raised sidewalk, a flower garden, gas lamps, and a balustrade above to the south. The fountain was destroyed in 1941 and rebuilt in 1970 and 1990, and began its third major restoration in January 2008 planned for completion in 2009. Kessler went on to include numerous plans for fountains in his urban designs of the park and boulevard system. Typically, most of the first fountains in Kansas City served practical rather than decorative purposes. In 1904, the Humane Society of Kansas City in Kansas – established to prevent cruelty to women, children and animals – built a characteristic fountain near the west end of Minnesota Avenue at North 3rd Street. Water poured out of spigots in lions' mouths so that people could get clean water in their cups. This water fell into a granite basin at a height for horses to drink. The overflow from the basin went into four small pools at street level for dogs to drink. A street light was on top; in 1967, the fountain was given to the Wyandotte County Museum. The Humane Society went on to mount more than 100 fountains, including ones made of bronze created for people alone for sanitary purposes. Fountain building and the use of decorative statuary exploded in the 1920s after developer
J.C. Nichols Jesse Clyde "J. C." Nichols (August 23, 1880 - February 16, 1950) was an American developer of commercial and residential real estate in Kansas City, Missouri. Born in Olathe, Kansas, and a student at the University of Kansas and Harvard Univer ...
used them extensively in the development of
Country Club Plaza The Country Club Plaza (often called The Plaza) is a privately-owned regional shopping center in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1923, it was the first planned suburban shopping center and the first regional shoppi ...
. The most famous fountain in Kansas City is appropriately named J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain. The figures were originally created by French sculptor Henri-Léon Gréber in 1910 for "Harbor Hill", the estate of
Clarence Mackay Clarence Hungerford Mackay (; April 17, 1874 – November 12, 1938) was an American financier. He was chairman of the board of the Postal Telegraph and Cable Corporation and president of the Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company. Early life He ...
in
Roslyn, New York Roslyn ( ) is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the Greater Roslyn area's anchor community. The population was 2,770 at the 2010 census. History Ros ...
. The four allegorical
equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...
figures reportedly represent four great rivers of the world — the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
,
Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchme ...
,
Seine River ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributaries ...
, and
Rhine River ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...
. MacKayHistory.com, ''Mackay Fountain, 1910 to c.1949''
downloaded 21 July 2008. The work is enlivened by sculptures of little children riding dolphins in the pool surrounding the main figures. The ''William Volker Memorial Fountain'' includes the last sculptures by Swedish artist
Carl Milles Carl Milles (; 23 June 1875 – 19 September 1955) was a Swedish sculptor. He was married to artist Olga Milles (née Granner) and brother to Ruth Milles and half-brother to the architect Evert Milles. Carl Milles sculpted the Gustaf Vasa sta ...
. The five-piece ensemble of bronze statuary shows
Saint Martin of Tours Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...
,
patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, on horseback, giving his clothes to a
beggar Begging (also panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars may operate in public plac ...
surrounded by two
angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
s (one absurdly wearing a
wristwatch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...
) and a curious little demon in hiding. The sculptures rest between two pools of water with jet sprays along Volker Boulevard, and sits above a dramatic three-tier, waterfall into a basin on Brush Creek. The ''Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain'' was originally part of the Seventh Avenue clock created by A.A. Weinman for the
Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. When the station was torn down, Kansas City petitioned to obtain the clock sculpture and replaced its face with an
Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...
tribute. The Waterworks Spectacular has been dousing the outfield during
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
games at
Kauffman Stadium Kauffman Stadium (), often called "The K", is a baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent Arrowhead ...
for more than 30 years.


0–9

*49/63 Neighborhood Fountain *5901 College Boulevard *7007 College Boulevard *7101 Tower


A–B

*A Mind Soothed at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art *Adam and Eve at Jacob L. Loose Park *Adams Dairy Parkway Fountain *Aleman Court Fountain *Alfred Benjamin Memorial Fountain *Allen Memorial Fountain *American Legion Fountain at Budd Park *American Legion Fountain at Swope Park *American War Mothers Memorial Fountain *Ameristar *Antioch Park *Armour Center Fountain *Armour Green Fountain *Bannister Mall Fountain (closed) *Barnes Memorial Fountain *Barney Allis Plaza Fountain *Belinder Court Fountain *Bernard Powell Memorial Fountain *Boy and Frog Fountain *Boy with Frog *Brookwood Fountain *Bronze Boar Fountain *Brush Creek Fountains


C–E

*Carl J. DiCapo Fountain *CarMax *Children at Play Wall Fountain *Children's Fountain *City of Westwood Hills *Clock Tower Plaza Fountain *Colonial Court *Commerce Bank *Commerce Bank - Country Club Plaza *Commerce Tower Sunken Garden Fountain *Court of Lions Fountains *Court of Lions Fountain II *Court of Lions Fountain III *Court of the Penguins Fountain *Crown Center *Crown Center Entrance Fountains *D. W. Newcomers Sons Funeral Home Fountains *Delbert J. Haff Fountains, sculpture by Jorgen Dreyer *Diana *Diane: Sitting *Double Monopole *E. F. Pierson Sculpture Garden Fountain *Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain *Eighth Street Fountain I *Eighth Street Fountain II *Embassy Suites Atrium Fountain *Epperson House Wall Fountain *Eubank Memorial Fountain *Ewing & Muriel Kauffman Memorial Fountain


F–K

*Federal Building *Firefighters Fountain *Fountain of Bacchus *Four Fauns Fountain *Frank S. Land Memorial Fountain *Grandview City Hall Veterans Memorial *H & R Bloch Courtyard Fountain *Hallmark Corporate Entrance *Harold D. Rice Fountain *Harry Evans Minty Memorial Fountain *Harvester KC *Helen Cuddy Memorial Rose Garden Fountain *Helen Spradling Boylan Memorial *Henry Wollman Bloch Memorial Fountain *Hillside Fountain *Hyatt Regency Crown Center *Ilus Davis Civic Mall Fountain *J C Nichols Memorial *Jay Wolfe Memorial *Jefferson Pointe Apartments *Joe Dennis Park *John Knox Fountain *Kansas City Board of Trade Fountain *Kansas City Life 100-year Commemorative Plaza *Kansas City Star Fountain *Kansas City University Fountains *Kingswood Manor Fountain


L–O

*Leawood City Hall Courtyard Fountain *Lenexa City Hall Fountain *Liberty Courtyard Fountain *Liberty Memorial Fountain *Lighton Plaza I *Lighton Plaza II *Loose Park Lake *Loose Park Rose Garden Fountain *Marlborough Plaza *Marriott Kansas City Downtown *Marriott Residence Inn *Martha & Jack Steadman Fountain *Mary A. Fraser Memorial Fountain *Mermaid Fountain *Meyer Circle Sea Horse Fountain *Mill Creek Sanctuary *Mission Hills City Hall *Molamphy Memorial *Muse of the Missouri *Nebraska Furniture Mart II *Nebraska Furniture Mart III *Neptune Fountain *Newport Apartment Fountain *Northeast Concourse *Northland Fountain *One Sun/34 Moons


P–S

*Parkville Spirit Fountain *Parkway Towers fountain *Penn Tower Building Atrium Fountain *Pomona Fountain *Prairie Village Gateway *Pratt Memorial Fountain, Dagg Park *Prospect Plaza Fountain *Providence Medical Center Fountain *Quenching Cup *R.R. Osborne Plaza *Renner Boulevard Fountains (4) *Robert H. Gillham Fountain *Rockhurst *Romanelli Gardens Fountain *Romany Fountain *Russell Stover Fountain *Scottish Rite Temple *Sea Horse Fountain at City Hall *Seville Light Fountain *Shawnee Mission Pkwy *Shirley Bush Helzberg Garden of the Stars *Silverbrooke Community Waterfall *Sixty-Ninth St. Fountain *South Garden Reflecting Pool and Patio *Spirit of Freedom Fountain *Station Park Plaza *Stowers Gift of Life Fountain *Stratford Garden Park Fountain *Swan Fountain


T–Z

*The Fountains Luxury Retail Center *The Meadows *Thomas H. Swope Memorial Fountain *Thousand Oaks fountain/sculpture *Three Lakes Apartments *Tomahawk Fountain *Veterans of Foreign Wars Centennial Plaza *Vietnam Veterans Fountain *Ward Parkway Mirror Pool Fountain *Water Spectacular *Waterfall, Park University *Westin Crown Center Hotel Lobby Fountain *Westside Fountain *Westwood, Kansas *William T. Fitzsimons Memorial *William Volker Memorial *Willow Lake *Wm.T. & Charlotte Kemper Memorial *Women's Leadership *Wornall Road & 67th Street Fountain


References


External links

*
List of Kansas City Fountains at KCMO.orgHunting Fountains in Kansas CityFountains of Kansas City
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fountains In The Kansas City Metropolitan Area, List Of Kansas City Metropolitan Area Culture of Kansas City, Missouri Kansas culture Lists of buildings and structures in Kansas Lists of buildings and structures in Missouri Kansas City Kansas City Missouri culture Outdoor sculptures in Kansas Outdoor sculptures in Missouri Tourist attractions in Kansas City, Missouri