Buckingham Fountain Chicago

The design of the fountain is based on the Bassin de Latone at the Versailles Palace near Paris and was built by Edward H. Bennett who had also constructed the Michigan Avenue Bridge.The fountain rises more than 7 meters high 23ft and consists of 3 layers of bassins surrounded by four pairs of bronze seahorses. Each sea horse symbolizes a state bordering Lake Michigan Illinois Indiana Michigan and Wisconsin while the fountain represents the lake itself. The statues were created by the French sculptor Marcel F. Loyau who won the Prix National at the 1927 Paris Salon for it.One of the largest fountains in the world the Buckingham Fountain measures 85m/280ft in diameter. It features 134 jets powered by 3 pumps.The fountains hourly 20 minute water display starts with small sprays. While the basins are filled more and more jets are activated until it reaches its climax when the central jet pushes water up to a height of 46m/150ft. The animation is best seen at dusk after 8 pm when it is accompanied with music and beautifully animated with a now computerized choreography of color spotlights.