Families and Children enjoying the Crown Fountain, on a hot, humid evening, in Millennium Park Chicago Illinois


Designed by Jaume Plensa and built by Krueck + Sexton Architects, 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. 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. Covering the ground surface is a “water skin,” a shallow reflecting pool measuring 1/8th of an inch deep and is spread out across the whole of the pool measuring 232-feet long by 48-feet wide. The pool invites visitors to step on its surface and look at the images of the sky and city reflected within. In 2017, Crown Fountain underwent a significant restoration to enhance its technology and install new video projection screens. The cost of the original design, as well as the restoration, was completely underwritten by the Millennium Park Foundation using funds from private donors


Size: 2048px × 3072px
Location: Crown Fountain, Millennium Park Chicago Illinois
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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