Sunday, October 28, 2012
Buckingham Fountain
Last Thursday, we saw pictures of four amazing fountains in Rome. Professor Manning gave me an idea, to find another fountain in another city. I am originally from Chicago. There is an unforgettable fountain downtown called the Buckingham fountain. The fountain was commissioned in 1927 in honor of Kate Buckingham's brother Clarence. Kate frequently traveled to Europe and she loved the huge public fountains and she wanted to bring that home to Chicago. The design is based on the "Bassin de Latone" at the Versailles Palace. It was built by Edward H. Bennett, he also built the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Being one of the largest fountains in the world, the fountain measures 280 feet in diameter. The fountain is over 23 feet high and has 3 basins surrounded by 4 pairs of bronze seahorses. Each seahorse represents a state bordering Lake Michigan and the fountain represents the lake itself. The French sculptor, Marcel F. Loyau created the statues. The fountain also features 134 jets, powered by 3 pumps. Every hour, for 20 minutes, there is a water display that starts off with small sprays. The basins are filled until it reaches its climax and the jets push water up 150 feet. The best time to witness this show is at dusk, after 8 pm. The show is then accompanied by music and color spotlights.
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That is really awesome! My aunt lives in a suburb of Indianapolis and when I was younger I would spend the occasional weekend with her. She had this public fountain in her town that was a mini replica of Buckingham fountain. The town allowed children to play in the fountain on Saturday evenings. It was always a special treat if she let us go!
ReplyDeleteIt so great that you made a post of these fountains. Im originally from Chicago too and its great to see someone else who appreciates chicago landmarks. I didn't even know that the fountain had been inspired from else where! They are really beautiful fountains and the way the water shoots out sort of makes me think that they could possibly be made to shoot out with the music we listen to in class.
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