Buckingham Fountain

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Chicago, IL
Buckingham Fountain

If you visited me, took a picture & want to be featured on my page, simply post your picture with me & I will re-post on my wall! to 11:00 p.m. Edward H.
(2780)

This is my official page! I am owned and operated by the Chicago Park District. I am one of the largest in the world and am located at Columbus Drive (301 East) and Congress Parkway (500 South) in Grant Park. I'm up and running from 8:00 a.m. daily, typically from April to mid-October, depending on weather. Times are subject to change when large events take place in or around Grant Park.

While in operation, every hour on the hour for 20 minutes I produce a fabulous water display and the center jet shoots 150 feet into the air! Beginning at dusk, every hour on the hour for 20 minutes my major water display is accompanied by a major light and music display. The final display of the evening begins at 10:00 p.m. HISTORY
One of Chicago's most popular attractions, I opened on May 26, 1927. and was dedicated on August 26, 1927. Bennett designed me to represent Lake Michigan with four sea horses, built by Marcel Loyau, to symbolize the four states that touch the lake: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Bennett attributed the design specifically to the influence of the Latona Basin in Louis XIV's gardens at Versailles. Kate Buckingham dedicated the structure to the people of Chicago in 1927 in memory of her late brother, Clarence. At the time, she also established a $300,000 trust fund to ensure that the taxpayers would never have to cover all of the repair and upkeep costs associated with me. The funds for the $2.8 million restoration that was done in 1994 came from the Buckingham Fountain Endowment Fund, which the Art Institute of Chicago has administered. Funds from the Buckingham Fountain Endowment Fund also helped fund a portion of the 2008-2009 project. I am constructed of Georgia pink marble and has remained intact (except for a brief theft of two carved fish heads from me), weighing several pounds each. The fish heads were recovered when a salvage place was offered the pieces and the buyer thought they looked very familiar and reported them. STRUCTURE & WATER
The water displays are powered by three pumps:
- Pump 3: 75 horsepower for 1,600 gallons of water a minute.
- Pump 2: 190 horsepower for 5,500 gallons of water a minute.
- Pump 1: 250 horsepower for 7,000 gallons of water a minute. I have 134 jets in the following configurations:
- 36 jets point upwards from the top basin, including a central jet to produce a 150-foot geyser.
- 34 jets at the consoles.
- 12 jets in the upper trough that arc into the top bowl.
- 12 jets in the inner trough that arc into the upper trough.
- 12 jets in the lower trough that arc into the inner trough.
- 8 jets spout from the sea horses' mouths.
- 20 isolated jets. My water capacity is 1.5 million gallons. Depending on wind conditions, major displays use approximately 14,100 gallons of water per minute conveyed through 134 jets! Water is re-circulated from the base pool after the basins are filled and not drawn from the outside except to replace losses from wind and evaporation. My bottom pool is 280 feet in diameter, the lower basin is 103 feet, the middle basin is 60 feet and the upper basin is 24 feet. The lip of the upper basin is 25 feet above the water in the lower basin. The underground pump room is 35 feet long, 25 feet wide and 25 feet high. LIGHTING
Kate Buckingham envisioned a fountain whose effect was that of "soft moonlight." She worked many nights with technicians, testing the various colors of the glass filters and currents to produce an ethereal, mystical aura. I contain 820 lights in the following configurations:
- 16 in top bowl.
- 72 in upper trough.
- 204 in inner trough.
- 432 in lower trough.
- 24 in the isolated jets.
- 60 in the sea horses.
- 12 in the bulrushes. The computer known as the Honeywell Excel-Plus is located in my pump house. The computer was moved here from Atlanta, Georgia, during the 1994 renovation. My alarm, a system similar to a store alarm, is monitored and dispatched through Honeywell Central Station in Arlington Heights.

10/31/2024

Hey y’all! It’s that time of the year, when my bones 🦴 start aching & the pipes start rattling… That’s my signal to call it for the season. I’ll be going into hibernation tomorrow, Oct. 31, but not before putting on one last light & music show at 10 pm. Can’t wait to see all the trick or treaters before my nap! 😴

Halloween is the final day to enjoy Chicago’s historic Buckingham Fountain and its amazing water displays in preparation for the winter season. The final display begins at 10:35 pm on Thurs., Oct. 31. Major displays at night include a light show and music. For more information about Buckingham Fountain, visit https://bit.ly/BuckinghamFountain.

06/22/2024

Effective immediately, Buckingham Fountain will be closed until further notice to perform maintenance due to overnight vandalism. Please check back here for updates.

[UPDATE 6/23/24 at 11 am] : Our beloved Buckingham Fountain is ON & fully operational. Thank you for your patience.

Effective immediately, Buckingham Fountain will be closed until further notice to perform maintenance due to overnight vandalism. Please check back here for updates.

05/11/2024

And just like that! With the flip of a switch I am back at work.

Here are some deets for you about me:
👉I'm on the JOB from 8 am- 11:00 pm daily, until mid-October, depending on weather.
👉I produce a major water display for 20 minutes at the top of the hour.
👉At dusk, I turn on the lights & music for the major display,
👉And, my bedtime is after my last show of the night at 10:35 pm.
👉 More info. at https://bit.ly/BuckinghamFountain.

05/10/2024

Thanks for stopping by Fox 32 Chicago. You caught me when I was flexing my muscles 💪 this week & testing my jets. You got my GOOD side.

👉Meet the team that makes me work every year & come into my humble abode.

Catch my show at Switch on Summer at Buckingham Fountain 2024. ▶ https://bit.ly/3JW5f00.

Crews are getting ready to turn on the iconic Buckingham Fountain. FOX 32 got a behind-the-scenes look at how the Chicago Park District is preparing for the ...

05/07/2024

Woah! I thought my pipes burst today with the deluge of water 💦⛈ that today's storms brought.

All good! But, don't be suprised if you catch me showing off tomorrow and Thursday in the early hours.

My engineer friends are testing my pipes & turning me ON- just briefly- to make sure I'm ready for my BIG SHOW at Switch on Summer at Buckingham Fountain 2024.

Are you coming?

04/30/2024

Got my grove back. Thanks conservationists. I don't know what I would do without you. Just like you brush your teeth every morning (I hope), I have to get all the nooks & cranies cleaned before the BIG SHOW on May 11.

My marble bowls are clean & the pink in the Georgia marble is sparkling & visible again. I recommed a quick stop to see it before the spectacle begins at Switch on Summer at Buckingham Fountain 2024.

10/28/2023

Last weekend to see 👀 me in action! I wanted to see what this Halloween 🎃 thing is all about.

My nap starts on Halloween, Tues., Oct. 31 at 11 pm. Comment with your 📸. bit.ly/BuckinghamFountain!

07/01/2023

Ready for the race, NASCARChicago! 🏁 Can’t wait for a selfie 🤳 with the 🏆 ? Don’t forget to tag me on your selfies with “muah.”

05/15/2023

Hey, Tom Skilling... you gotta show me how you magically make the sun ☀️ come out on cue. I was soooooo impressed.

Thanks for coming out on Saturday!

05/09/2023

Hi all! It's been awhile since I was greeted by the sun 🌞 & 50+ temps. I guess that means that it'll soon be time for my BIG debut.

Rumor has it, Switch On Summer 2023 at Buckingham Fountain is this Saturday, May 13 at 12 pm.

So, if you see me in action before then, it's my awesome engineers testing my ye olde pipes. I'm not as spry as I used to be...

04/13/2023

Say what!? You all ready for me?

We're ready to . Are you? ComEd & WGN TV's Tom Skilling are on board to turn-on our beloved Buckingham Fountain⛲️on Sat., May 13.

👉Enter to win a chance to flip the switch by April 26. Follow the🔗for details: https://bit.ly/SwitchOnSummer2023.

11/28/2022

Get me on a tee, notepad, hoodie...! Shop the at the Chicago Park Store 👉 www.chicagoparkstore.com.

Everything is on SALE! Give your favorite person a gift that shows-off their Chicago pride! Shop tees with images of our beloved Buckingham Fountain & the Chicago Piping Plovers.▶️ www.chicagoparkstore.com.

10/10/2022

! Closing up shop for the season at 11 pm.

Hasta la vista... I'll be back... May 2023 (Is Terminator still popular?)

10/01/2022

Hi y'all! Brrrr...🥶The chilly weather has my pipes shivering. I must prepare to go into hibernation for the winter, starting Oct. 10!

I'll be around 'til then if you wanna stop by.

09/08/2022

Got word that one of my most famous visitors, her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, has passed. I'll forever remember when she stopped at Queen's Landing & greeted me kindly. I was a 32 yr. old lad back then & Chicago's skyline was still in the works!

08/31/2022

Everyday I'm hustling... Thanks to my pals, the Chicago Park District engineers & plumbers that keep my gears going & my jets flowing.

Still living my best ⛲️ life at 95! Shoutout to everyone that wished me a Happy Birthday! 🎉🎈

07/28/2022

“Life is ours we live it our way” ― Metallica
😝😝😝 Adjusting my hearing aids for tonight's headliner Metallica!

Comment with your best Lollapalooza 📸 with ME in the background!

Here's a pic: https://www.chicagotribune.com/visuals/chi-lollapalooza-and-the-citys-image-machine-20140803-story.html

Fans pose inside a picture frame in front of Buckingham Fountain on Saturday, August 2, 2014 at Lollapalooza in Grant Park. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Address

500 S Columbus Drive
Chicago, IL
60605

Telephone

+13127427529

Website

http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/clarence-f-buckingham-memorial-fountain/

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Videos

Woah! I thought my pipes burst today with the deluge of water 💦⛈ that today's storms brought. All good! But, don't be suprised if you catch me showing off tomorrow and Thursday in the early hours. My engineer friends are testing my pipes & turning me ON- just briefly- to make sure I'm ready for my BIG SHOW at Switch on Summer at Buckingham Fountain 2024. Are you coming?

Mild weather means more Buckingham Fountain ⛲! Historically, the onset of colder temperatures in early October prompted the end of the Fountain's season in mid-October. This year's, mild weather has permitted the extension of the season & the spook-tacular water, light & music display through Halloween, Tuesday, October 31. The 96 yr. old architectural gem's backdrop is unlike any other with downtown Chicago's colorful skyline to the west and the glistening Lake Michigan to the east. The 820 "soft moonlight 🌙" yellow, blue, purple and red lights appear to dance on the Fountain's reflection pool. As the lights change hues, a burst of water shoots 150 ft. into the air, catapulted by one of the Fountain's 133 powerful jets. Everyone is welcome! Free to enter. We'd love to see your photos. Tag us @chicagoparks for a chance to see your 📸 shared in our stories. ...