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]

Eli Bates Fountain
The fountain in 2012
Map
LocationChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°55′22″N 87°38′7″W / 41.92278°N 87.63528°W / 41.92278; -87.63528

Description

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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

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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

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  1. ^ "Essential Sculpture" (PDF). Lincoln Park Conservancy.
  2. ^ "Eli Bates Fountain | Chicago Park District". www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  3. ^ "Eli Bates Fountain – Public Art and Architecture from Around the World". artandarchitecture-sf.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-25. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  4. ^ "Past Projects - Lincoln Park Conservancy". 2015-07-16. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  5. ^ a b "Eli Bates Fountain". Chicagoparkdistrict.com. Retrieved September 30th, 2015. Archived 2015-10-07 at the Wayback Machine