Crown Fountain
Designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park is a major addition to the city's world-renowned public art collection. It is a highly interactive art installation consisting of two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. Krueck + Sexton Architects designed the towers using 22,000 ten-pound glass blocks. The surface area of the fountain floor is covered with matte, black granite creating a vast, dark and empty surface.
The towers project video images of Chicago locals, who spout jets of water from their pouting lips. The design was inspired by the tradition of using gargoyles in fountains, sculpted with open mouths to allow water, a symbol of life, to flow.
Crown Fountain uses numerous design elements including water, light, and glass to create a unique meeting point and reflection space. Though not originally constructed as such, the Fountain has become an interactive summer urban oasis for families and visitors who take refuge in the space during Chicago’s humid summers.
Locals and tourists alike have enjoyed Jaume Plensa’s stunning interactive public art feature for nearly 18 years now. An urban escape in the hotter months, Crown Fountain has become a beloved and iconic public feature of the great city.
- Founded: 2004
- Designer: Jaume Plensa
- Google rating: 4.7/5.0
- Address: 201 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
