Crown Fountain
Chicago’s Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, which was gifted by the Crown family and designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, is truly a sight to behold. Built by Circle Redmont, this public artwork consists of two majestic 50-foot glass block towers that mark the endpoints of a 232-foot reflecting pool. This fountain has been enchanting visitors since it was unveiled in 2004 with the powerful words of Blair Kamin shouting, “roll over Buckingham Fountain!”
Millennium Park – Chicago, IL
Millennium Park has long been a beloved piece of Chicago, and the Crown Fountain at Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street adds an iconic feature to its charm. This fountain is known for its famous spitting images of Chicagoans. It is inspired by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa’s vision of “the ephemeral” and captures the beauty of life through its faces that grace the fountain.
Design
The fountain’s interactive design allows people to walk through its splash pad while viewing projected images of Chicagoans filmed with high-definition cameras by Art Institute students featured on the towers. Every five minutes, one of these faces’ spews water from its mouth before a cascade of water flows out from above! All in all, it takes more than 11,000 gallons of water per hour to keep this fountain going!
While many of the people whose faces have been photographed for the fountain have since left or passed away, they remain a part of this city’s fabric forever through their presence on the fountain walls. One person whose face is featured there said it best: “It’s good to be a part of the fabric of the city.” With its beautiful blend of nature, art, and everyday life, the Crown Fountain truly captures what it means to be an inhabitant of The Windy City!
This fountain offers fresh water to birds, bees and dragonflies just like a natural spring would. It is full of people who come to enjoy its beauty as part of their experience in Chicago. That is why it has become so popular with locals and tourists alike.
Many who live in Chicago were dubious about the design before it was built but are now wowed by it. Tom Jacobs from Krueck+Sexton architects, who were involved with the project, – admitted “it was certainly audacious!”
Build By Circle Redmont
It’s clear that the combination of Millennium Park’s beauty, along with Circle Redmont’s work on building the Crown Fountain, has resulted in one of the Loop’s most popular attractions during the summer months.
The artist, Jaume Plensa, does an excellent job combining materials such as glass, steel, and aluminum with unconventional media like video, sound, and light for his artworks which can be found in numerous cities across the world like Dubai, London, Tokyo, and Vancouver. Thanks to Circle Redmont’s help erecting projects like Millennium Park around the globe, visitors will have plenty of opportunities to experience something awe-inspiring – so make sure you don’t miss out on checking out the magnificent Crown Fountain if you’re ever in Chicago!
