Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain is breathtakingly beautiful. To stand in front of it, is to be enveloped by the truest essence of beauty. The sound of splashing water. The waters mist surrounding you. The sumptuous warmth of the pink Georgia marble. Bronze sculptures that immediately remind you of Versailles. The view of the ocean behind it. It’s truly a feast for all of your senses and should be at the top of your to do list while visiting Chicago.
I was lucky to arrive just as the sun was beginning to set, and I felt like I was witnessing the creation of an 18th-Century Italian painting. The rolling clouds changed color before my eyes, with shades of pale pink and baby blue. The spectacular ‘soft moonlight’ lighting on the fountain revealed itself as the sun continued to set. The warm tones of the marble against the backdrop of cool tones in the sky could not have been anymore perfect. I circled the fountain to experience it from every vantage point. I wanted to linger and spend hours by the fountains edge, but there were still so many things to see along Michigan Avenue.
Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858 – 1937) bestowed this remarkable gift to the city in 1927, as a memorial to her late brother Clarence Buckingham. To this day, it is one of the largest fountains of it’s type in the world. Architect Edward H. Bennett designed the fountain, and French artist Marcel Loyau produced the sculptural elements, inspired by the Latona Fountain at Versailles. Located at Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway in Grant Park, the fountains runs from 8 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily, from early April through mid-October, depending on the weather. I can’t wait to return to this glorious Chicago landmark.
