Buckingham Fountain

Listen first. Before you look closely, just listen. There is a steady roar of falling water, like rain on a roof that never stops. Behind it you can hear traffic on Lake Shore Drive. Further out, if the wind is right, you can hear gulls over Lake Michigan. A fine mist drifts across the plaza and settles on your skin. You are standing beside Buckingham Fountain, in the heart of Grant Park, and the fountain fills the air around you.

Now look at the shape in front of you. It rises in tiers, one round basin stacked on another, like a layered cake carved in stone. The stone has a soft, warm colour, somewhere between pink and cream. It is marble, quarried in the state of Georgia, and it changes with the light. In the morning it looks pale and almost white. Toward sunset it turns rosy. On a grey day it looks like cool, polished shell.

The fountain's full name is the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain. It was a gift to the city from Kate Buckingham, a wealthy Chicago philanthropist and art collector. She gave it in memory of her brother Clarence, who had been a director of the Art Institute of Chicago. The fountain was dedicated in 1927. So this is not a civic monument to a war or a statesman. It is a private act of grief and love, given to everyone who walks through the park.

Here is a detail many visitors miss. Kate Buckingham did not only pay for the stone and the pumps. She also set aside money to help keep the fountain running and maintained over time. She seems to have understood something simple. A fountain is not a statue. It needs water, power, repairs, and people to care for it every single season. Without that care, a fountain quickly becomes an empty bowl.

The design came from Edward Bennett, an architect who also helped shape the wider plan for Chicago's lakefront. The sculptures were made by a French artist, Marcel Loyau. The inspiration came from France too. Bennett looked to the Latona Fountain in the gardens of Versailles, the great palace outside Paris built for French kings. But the Chicago version is larger. And it carries a meaning that belongs only to this city.

Walk slowly around the outer basin and find the four groups of sea horses. They rise from the water in pairs, with curled tails and open mouths. There are four pairs in total, and each pair stands for one of the four states that touch Lake Michigan. Those states are Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. Once you know this, the whole fountain changes. You are not looking at decoration. You are looking at a map.

That is the second surprise. The fountain is meant to represent Lake Michigan itself. The broad lower pool is the lake. The sea horses are the shores around it. The water rising from the centre is the energy of the great inland sea. And the real lake is only a short walk to the east, behind you. Turn around for a moment, and you can compare the model with the original.

During the warmer months, the fountain runs a regular water show. At set intervals the jets build, the basins overflow, and the central column shoots high into the air. At its peak, that central jet climbs roughly 150 feet. Stand downwind and you will feel it. The spray drifts over the railings, and children often run toward it laughing. The sound grows louder too, from a hiss to a deep, rushing roar.

After dark, the fountain changes again. Coloured lights shine up through the water, and the falling sheets glow in shifting shades. The pink marble picks up the colour and seems to glow from inside. This evening show has been part of the fountain's character from the beginning. In the 1920s, electric light and moving water together felt modern and exciting. Today it still draws couples, families, and photographers after sunset.

Notice where you are standing in the city. The fountain sits on a long axis that runs from the lake toward downtown. Look west and you will see a wall of skyscrapers rising behind the trees. Look east and the view opens toward the water. Planners often called this spot Chicago's front door. For a city built facing the lake, this is the place where the streets and the shoreline meet.

If the fountain feels familiar, there may be a simple reason. It has appeared in films and on television many times. Perhaps the best-known example is the opening credits of the American sitcom Married with Children, which showed the fountain as a symbol of Chicago. For many people around the world, this was their first picture of the city. They saw the water before they ever saw the skyline.

Like any outdoor stone structure in a cold climate, the fountain has needed serious care. Chicago winters bring ice, salt, and freezing wind off the lake. Water gets into cracks, freezes, and expands. Over the decades the fountain has gone through major restoration work, including repairs to the marble, the plumbing, and the lighting. Each winter the water is turned off and the basins sit quiet. Each spring the city brings them back to life.

Before you leave, take one more slow walk around the rim. Look at the wet marble darkening where the spray lands. Watch the sea horses shine as water runs over their backs. Listen to the roar again, and notice how it softens as you step away toward the trees. You are leaving one lake behind and walking toward another. Somewhere in that mist, a sister's memory of her brother is still at work.