A Brief History Of Buckingham Fountain

As the centerpiece of the 500-acre Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain is undoubtedly among Chicago’s favorite landmarks, but how much do you know about the history of one of the world’s largest and most ornate fountains?

The Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain officially opened on May 26, 1927, but its story began much earlier. The Buckinghams were an important family of art patrons and philanthropists in Chicago in the late-19th and early-20th century. Clarence Buckingham was a successful businessman and held several prominent positions, including director of the Art Institute for more than a decade. When he unexpectedly died in 1913, his sister Kate Sturges Buckingham continued his dedication to the arts, loaning and donating work to the Art Institute and funding the collection’s maintenance and expansion.

In 1924, she gifted a sum of money amounting to a million dollars to the city to construct and maintain a magnificent fountain as a permanent memorial to her brother. Work began in 1925 and took two years to complete, and the official dedication on August 26, 1927, was attended by an estimated 50,000 people. Kate herself passed away 10 years later.

Buckingham Fountain’s spectacular water and light show

The fountain itself was designed by architect Edward H. Bennett of the firm Bennett, Parsons and Frost, with French artist Marcel Loyau contributing sculptural elements. It was inspired by the Bassin de Latone at the Versailles Palace near Paris, France, but with an added Lake Michigan theme. As well as four ornate basins featuring carved granite and pink Georgia marble, the fountain has four bronze sea horse sculptures in the large lower basin, representing the four states bordering the lake.
From an engineering point of view, the fountain is equally impressive. Its 133 jets use up to 15,000 gallons of water per minute during displays, with water reaching up to 150 feet in the air, and its 820 lights making evening shows even more special. Remarkably, the fountain’s displays were operated manually for the first 50 years of their existence and were not fully automated until 1980. The fountain was immediately taken to heart by Chicagoans, though, and contributed to Grant Park’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 and being designated as a Chicago Landmark in 2000.

See the fountain in all its glory with hourly 20-minute displays every day.

HOURS: May–October, daily every hour, 9 a.m.–10:35 p.m.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.