Chicago Attractions - Chicago Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park
Downtown Chicago Things-To-Do :: Chicago Buckingham Fountain
The Buckingham Fountain, located in Grant Park, is one of Chicago's most popular attractions and one of the largest fountains in the world. It was opened in May of 1927. The four sea horses you see on its sides represent the four states that touch Lake Michigan: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
Funded by philanthropist Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother, Buckingham Fountain is one of the nation's finest fountains and a public icon of Chicago. It is the centerpiece of Grant Park, the city's grand "front yard," and is set within a handsomely landscaped garden, one of the city's finest examples of a Beaux-Arts-style landscape design.
The fountain is distinguished not only for its exquisite decorative details and finely wrought bronze sculpture, but also for its innovative use of technology which creates a dynamic light and water display on a massive scale. It is the work of architect-planner Edward H. Bennett, a significant figure in the creation and execution of the 1909 Plan of Chicago, which encouraged the creation of lakefront amenities such as the fountain.
The fountain operates from approximately April 1 to November 1 each year and runs from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm each day. 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 hourly major water display is accompanied by lights and music.
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