Buckingham Fountain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Buckingham Fountain is a Chicago landmark located at Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway in Grant Park. The fountain, which was designed by Edward H. Bennett with sculptures by Jacques Lambert and modeled after Latona Fountain at Versailles, was donated to the city by Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham. Buckingham Fountain was dedicated on August 26, 1927. She also established the Buckingham Fountain Endowment Fund with an initial investment of $300,000 to pay for maintenance on the fountain so that the taxpayers didn't have to pay for its upkeep. [1]
The fountain runs from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day from mid April to mid October, depending on the weather. During a water display that runs for 20 minutes every hour on the hour, the center jet shoots up to 150 feet in the air. At dusk, a light and music show coincides with the water display. The last show of the night begins at 10:00 p.m. [2]
The fountain contains 1.5 million US gallons (5.7 million L) of water. During a display, more than 14,000 US gallons per minute (880 L/s) is pushed through the 133 jets. Buckingham Fountain is one of the largest fountains in the world.
[edit] Trivia
- The opening credits of the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, still seen in syndication, begin with a shot of Buckingham Fountain.
- Due to the popularity of Married... with Children in Germany, the Buckingham Fountain was bestowed the nickname "The Bundy Fountain" by German tourists.
- It was the official starting point for the classic US highway Route 66 that ran to Los Angeles.
- The fountain has an alarm system monitored from Honeywell Central Station in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
- The fountain is a representation of Lake Michigan.
- There are 4 statues in the fountain representing the 4 states that surround Lake Michigan. The states are Michigan,Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois.
- This was the starting line for The Amazing Race 6.
[edit] External links
- Chicago Landmarks: Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain and Garden
- Chicago Park District: Buckingham Fountain
- Chicago Pictures Buckingham Fountain Detail
- Chicago Pictures Buckingham Fountain Photos
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
[edit] References
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