Drake Fountain
Encyclopedia
The Drake Fountain, also known as the Columbus Monument
is located on a triangular site bounded by 92nd Street, South Chicago Avenue and Exchange Avenue in the Chicago
neighborhood known as South Chicago
.
and later the Drake
and Blackstone Hotels, gave the fountain to the residents so those in The Loop
would have chilled drinking water. The structure was designed by Richard Henry Park
and originally stood on Washington Street adjacent to Chicago City Hall. The monument was dedicated in December 1892 to the 400th anniversary of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus
. In 1906, it was moved to LaSalle Street and, in 1909, to its present site.
style. It consists of a square column with a pyramidal cap on a quatrefoil
base. The column and cap are ornamented with classical columns and other carvings. At each corner of the column is a flying buttress
which rises behind a large circular basin. The basins originally were drinking fountains and were chilled by ice blocks placed in the monument's base but currently serve as planters. The chambers under the fountain were large enough to accommodate two-tons of ice.
A bronze statue of Christopher Columbus stands in front of the column on a square granite base. Columbus is depicted during his university days and holds globe in his left hand and a compass in his right. Above the statue is a bronze plaque stating ICE WATER FOUNTAIN GIFT OF JOHN B. DRAKE TO THE CITY OF CHICAGO 1892.
The fountain was refurbished in 1986 and became a Chicago landmark March 10, 2004. It was rededicated October 8, 2004.
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
is located on a triangular site bounded by 92nd Street, South Chicago Avenue and Exchange Avenue in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
neighborhood known as South Chicago
South Chicago, Chicago
South Chicago, formerly known as Ainsworth, is one of the 77 well-defined community areas of Chicago, Illinois.This chevron-shaped community is one of Chicago's 16 lakefront neighborhoods near the southern rim of Lake Michigan 10 miles south of downtown...
.
History
John B. Drake, owner of the city's Grand Pacific HotelGrand Pacific Hotel (Chicago)
The Grand Pacific Hotel was one of the first two prominent hotels built in Chicago, Illinois after the Great Chicago Fire. The hotel, designed by William W...
and later the Drake
Drake Hotel (Chicago)
The Drake Hotel, 140 East Walton Place, Chicago, Illinois, is a luxury full-service hotel, located downtown on the lake side of Michigan Avenue two blocks north of the John Hancock Center and a block south of Oak Street Beach at the top of the Magnificent Mile.Overlooking Lake Michigan, it was...
and Blackstone Hotels, gave the fountain to the residents so those in The Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
would have chilled drinking water. The structure was designed by Richard Henry Park
Richard Henry Park
Richard Henry Park , also known as Richard Hamilton Park, was an American sculptor.Park was born in New York City an active in New York and Florence, Italy...
and originally stood on Washington Street adjacent to Chicago City Hall. The monument was dedicated in December 1892 to the 400th anniversary of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
. In 1906, it was moved to LaSalle Street and, in 1909, to its present site.
Architecture
The fountain is composed of granite and designed in the Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. It consists of a square column with a pyramidal cap on a quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
base. The column and cap are ornamented with classical columns and other carvings. At each corner of the column is a flying buttress
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
which rises behind a large circular basin. The basins originally were drinking fountains and were chilled by ice blocks placed in the monument's base but currently serve as planters. The chambers under the fountain were large enough to accommodate two-tons of ice.
A bronze statue of Christopher Columbus stands in front of the column on a square granite base. Columbus is depicted during his university days and holds globe in his left hand and a compass in his right. Above the statue is a bronze plaque stating ICE WATER FOUNTAIN GIFT OF JOHN B. DRAKE TO THE CITY OF CHICAGO 1892.
The fountain was refurbished in 1986 and became a Chicago landmark March 10, 2004. It was rededicated October 8, 2004.