Information
Landmark: Millennium Park Crown FountainCity: Chicago
Country: USA Illinois
Continent: North America
Millennium Park Crown Fountain, Chicago, USA Illinois, North America
Overview
In Chicago’s Millennium Park, the Crown Fountain draws crowds with its striking design and playful streams of water.Renowned Spanish artist Jaume Plensa designed it, and in 2004 it opened as part of the park’s expansion, soon standing out like a gleaming landmark among the trees.The Crown Fountain features two glass brick towers, each rising 50 feet, standing at either end of a shallow, mirror-like pool.Digital video portraits of Chicago residents flicker across LED screens hidden in the glass bricks of the towers.The faces shift slowly, revealing young and old, light and dark, smiles and frowns-capturing the city’s vibrant mix of cultures.Water streams from the towers, and every so often the faces on the screens seem to spit it from their mouths, splashing into the shimmering pool below.Water jets hidden inside the towers shoot streams that line up perfectly with the glowing digital images.The fountain blends old-world touches-water trickling over smooth stone-with sleek modern tech like digital video and bright LEDs, turning it into a lively, playful show.Between the towers, a shallow pool invites people to wade in and cool off on warm days, with kids laughing as they dart through the spitting streams.The installation draws people in, urging them to touch its surfaces and take in its shifting colors.It’s a spot where people meet up, linger over conversations, and snap photos against the gleam of Millennium Park.The faces you see belong to real Chicago residents, chosen to capture the city’s mix of cultures and its human spirit-a living reminder of identity, warmth, and inclusion.The name “Crown” nods to the historic Crown Fountain that once splashed water just down the street and to the crown itself, a symbol of Chicago’s proud architectural skyline.It honors how public art shapes city spaces and draws people in-like a mural that stops you mid-walk to look closer.The Crown Fountain sits on the east edge of Millennium Park, just steps from Michigan Avenue and the Art Institute of Chicago, making it easy for visitors to find.It fits right in with the park’s other highlights-the soaring Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the fragrant blooms of Lurie Garden, and the mirrored curve of Cloud Gate, better known as The Bean.In Chicago’s Millennium Park, the Crown Fountain draws crowds with its playful sheets of water, towering video screens of local faces, and its lively blend of art and technology that invites everyone to join in.
