Fountains in Chicago: The Buckingham Memorial, The Crown Fountain, and The Fountain of the Great Lakes
The Buckingham Memorial Fountain and Garden
By Adityachalla (talk) (Uploads) - Own work, Public Domain, Link
Built in year 1927, this fountain is located in the part of Chicago where it is bounded by Lake Shore. Its architects were Bennett, Parsons & Frost along with the help of Jacques Lambert and sculptor Marcel Francois Loyau. It was proclaimed as a popular Chicago landmark in August 30 of 2000.
It was supported by a philanthropist named Kate Buckingham in the dearest memory of her own brother. It is known to be one of the best fountains of the nation and an icon for Chicago. It also serves as the centrepiece of Grant Park which is known to be the huge front yard of the city and is set on a beautiful garden. This serves as one of the most effective examples of a Beaux-Arts-style design for a landscape.
It is not only set unique for its intricate detail designs but also for its sculptures made out of wrought bronze. It also has an improved lighting technology which allows for the colorful water display presentation. Its main architect Edward H. Bennett, is a popular figure in the creation of the 1909 Plan of Chicago which triggered the building of amenities for the lakefront like a fountain. The architect’s other famous works would include the Wacker Drive, Michigan Avenue Bridge and other city plans for Portland, Ore, Detroit, Ottawa and Brooklyn.
The Crown Fountain
By www.flickr.com user jjlthree
- Crown Fountain, Millenium Park (from Cliff Dwellers Club patio),
CC BY 2.0, Link
The design of this fountain was made by a Spanish artist in the name of Jaume Plensa. It is a primary addition to the public art collection of the city of Chicago. It is made up of two block towers made out of glass and measures 50 foot in height at the ends of a shallow and reflecting pool. It projects images from a video of social spectrum of the citizens of Chicago in reference to the orthodox use of gargoyles. The mythological faces with open mouths were sculpted to spout some water out.
The artist made this illusion on a LED screen to make it seem like the water is literally coming out from a random face of a thousand residents of Chicago, as the artist’s tribute to the Chicagoans. It remains to be a favorite spot of both children and adults alike. It is kept on during the middle of spring and throughout the middle of fall during the entire year, as the weather permits.
The Fountain of the Great Lakes
By Joe Ravi, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
This fountain signifies the five collective figures of females with water flowing from their shells and passes through the Great Lake system. It was made to completion in 1913 and is situated in the south part of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The whole concept and idea of this fountain was initiated by an architect named Daniel Burnham during the 1893 Columbian Exposition. He pushed the sculptors on gathering up to decorate the fairgrounds of the Great Lakes.
This fountain was known to be one of the best works of Lorado Taft who was a native of Illinois.