Eli Bates Fountain

Eli Bates Fountain
The fountain in 2012
Location	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates	41°55′22″N87°38′7″W / 41.92278°N 87.63528°W / 41.92278; -87.63528

Eli Bates Fountain, also known as Storks at Play, ^[1] is a fountain and sculpture in the center of the formal garden outside Lincoln Park's Conservatory, in Chicago, Illinois. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Description

The fountain is composed of a large, circular granite basin, two bronze storks (or, possibly, herons) with outstretched wings and water spewing water from their beaks, three figures that are half-boy and half-fish each holding unwieldy fishes, and bronze reeds and cattails at the center. ^[5]

History

The fountain was installed in 1887 as a gift from Eli Bates, a wealthy Chicago business man. It was designed by famous artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), and his assistant Frederick William MacMonnies (1863–1937), who later would design the famous central fountain, the Grand Barge of State, in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. ^[5]

References

1. "Essential Sculpture" (PDF). Lincoln Park Conservancy.
2. "Eli Bates Fountain | Chicago Park District". www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
3. "Eli Bates Fountain – Public Art and Architecture from Around the World". artandarchitecture-sf.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
4. "Past Projects - Lincoln Park Conservancy". July 16, 2015. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
5. "Eli Bates Fountain". Chicagoparkdistrict.com. Retrieved September 30th, 2015. Archived 2015-10-07 at the Wayback Machine