Fountain of Time

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Save America’s Treasures sites.

The Fountain of Time by Lorado Taft on the Midway Plaisance
in Washington Park.  Photo courtesy of Chicago Park District.

Fountain of Time

Washington Park

Cottage Grove Avenue and 59th Street

Chicago, IL

Website:  Chicago Park District: Web Based Guide to Fountains, Sculptures and Monuments

Chicago Park District: Washington Park

The Treasure:   The Fountain of Time, a huge sculptural monument by Lorado Taft, was described by art historian Patrick Reynolds as “an unforgettable burst of sculpture at the west end of the Midway Plaisance.”

Accessibility:  Washington Park (where the Fountain of Time is located) is open on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Background:   Created by Chicago’s pre-eminent sculptor, Lorado Taft (1860-1936), the Fountain of Time is an enormous work—it extends over 125 feet and its central sculptural figure towers 24 feet above the ground.  In addition to its official function as a commemoration of the centennial of the 1814 Treaty of Ghent between the U.S. and Canada, the sculptural monument functions as a meditation on the nature of time.  Inspired by a poem by Henry Austin Dobson entitled “The Paradox of Time,” it consists of 100 symbolic human figures solemnly passing a huge sculpture of Father Time.  The reflecting pool runs along the entire length of the monument, forming an integral part of Taft’s original conception.

Father Time and the reflecting pool.
© James Iska

The Fountain of Time is located on Chicago’s Midway Plaisance (which joins Washington Park and Jackson Park).  This mile-long boulevard was an important site of the famed 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.  When that World’s Fair closed, the huge buildings were soon either torn down or lost to fire.  In the early years of the 20th century, Taft and other Chicago leaders became intent on revitalizing the Midway Plaisance.  Taft proposed two monumental sculptures, with a Fountain of Time on the west end and a complementary Fountain of Creation on the east.  Only the Fountain of Time was ever fully realized.

In order to create the very ambitious work cost-effectively, Taft seized upon the idea of using new concrete processes to cast the figures.  For the most part, this experimental approach proved very successful, saving much money while providing the appearance of carved stone.  But the extremes of Chicago weather and the porous nature of the material created long-term conservation headaches.  Over the past two decades, the Chicago Park District and the Art Institute of Chicago (administrator of the  B.F. Ferguson Fund)  have worked together to carefully conserve the monument.  In the first phase, sculpture conservator Andrzej Dajnowski  repaired and restored the fountain’s concrete figurative sculptures.

But water continued to penetrate into the severely deteriorated reflecting pool—threatening the integrity of the restored elements of the monument.  The Chicago Park District received 2003 Save America’s Treasures funding to address this problem. After fully conserving the reflecting basin, water was returned to the sculptural fountain for first time in many decades. Today, the colossal Fountain of Time monument looks much like it did when it was completed in 1922, a grand old-fashioned reminder that we are all just passers-by on the world’s stage.

Historic photo of the Fountain of Time, circa 1935.
Photo courtesy Chicago Park District Special Collections.

Other Recommended Sites:  Washington Park is on the west side of the Midway Plaisance and Jackson Park is on the east, with the University of Chicago to the north.  Lorado Taft’s Midway Studio is a National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the University of Chicago.  In Washington Park, you can find an original Frederick Law Olmsted landscape with an arboretum as well as plenty of recreational activities including a Harvest Garden.  Jackson Park borders Lake Michigan and is home to another Save America’s Treasures site, the Museum of Science and Industry.

Detail of the Fountain of Time on the Midway Plaisance in Washington Park.
© James Iska

Tour America's History Itinerary

Wednesday’s destination:  Unity Temple

© 2013 Lee Price