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 Buckingham Fountain - Chicago, IL Posted by:  Hikenutty
N 41° 52.546 W 087° 37.140
16T E 448636 N 4636168
The Buckingham fountain, built in 1927, is a major landmark for the city of Chicago. Located in Grant Park, the fountain was a gift from Kate Buckingham in memory of her late brother, Clarence.
Waymark Code: WM1Y1X
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/30/2007
Views: 106
The following excerpt is from "The WPA Guide to Illinois":
At the end of the concourse stands the BUCKINGHAM MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN, formally landscaped as the "centerpiece of Grant Park." Dedicated in 1927, the pink Georgia marble fountain is the gift of the late Miss Kate Buckingham, in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham, a former trustee of the Art Institute. The main pool, 300 feet in diameter, contains four pairs of sea horses, dedicated to and facing each of the four states bordering Lake Michigan. For creating these fine large figures, N. Marcel Loyau won the Prix National. In the center of the pool three concentric basins rise to a height of 25 feet, and from their outer rims spouts a series of diminishing water domes. A central column of water rises almost 100 feet above the apex of the highest dome. At night, hidden lights of 45 million candlepower concentrate a blaze of color, constantly shifting in pattern, on the cascades of spray. The intricate control mechanism is housed in an underground room. During displays the fountain shoots 15,500 gallons of water per minute from its 134 jets. It is twice the size of the Latona Fountain at Versailles, which in a measure inspired its design. The architects were Bennett, Parsons, and Frost, with Clarence Farrier and J.H. Lambert as associates.
At the time of the fountain's dedication, Kate Buckingham put $300,000 in trust to ensure that the fountain would be maintained during its lifetime without any cost to the taxpayers of Chicago.
The fountain can be seen in all its glory from April to mid October, depending on weather. It runs from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily and every hour on the hour for 20 minutes the fountain produces a major water display and the center jet shoots 150 feet into the air. At dusk the fountain's show is accompanied by lights and music. The following facts are from the park district's website, which is linked to below:
- The water display is run by 3 pumps and has 134 jets
- The fountain's water capacity is 1.5 million gallons. Depending on wind conditions, major displays use approximately 14,100 gallons of water per minute conveyed through 134 jets. Water is re-circulated from the base pool after the basins are filled and not drawn from the outside except to replace losses from wind and evaporation.
- The bottom pool of the fountain is 280 feet in diameter, the lower basin is 103 feet, the middle basin is 60 feet and the upper basin is 24 feet. The lip of the upper basin is 25 feet above the water in the lower basin.
- The underground pump room is 35 feet long, 25 feet wide and 25 feet high
- The fountain contains 820 lights
- The fountain is constructed of Georgia pink marble
- The fountain has remained intact except for a brief theft of two carved fish heads from the fountain, weighing several pounds each. The fish heads were recovered when a salvage place was offered the pieces and the buyer thought they looked very familiar and reported them.
Book: Illinois
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 231
Year Originally Published: 1939
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