Test Your Knowledge

What is the name of the Kansas City saloonkeeper whose statue in Mulkey Park was originally the centerpiece of a fountain?
James T. "Big Jim" Pendergast.

Overlooking a public fountain to the memory of this Kansas Citian is a colonnade with a Latin inscription which says, "If you seek his monument, look about you." Who was he?
Colonel Thomas Swope, donor of Swope Park, whose burial place overlooks the fountain.

An angel wearing a wristwatch and scratching his leg is a humorous touch in what Kansas City statuary fountain?
The William Volker Memorial Fountain at Volker and Oak.

The central figure of the Volker Memorial Fountain in honor of Kansas City philanthropist William Volker is St. Martin of Tours on horseback. What is St. Martin doing?
He is cutting his cloak in half with a sword to share it with a beggar.

What Kansas City fountain was the last work by famed Swedish sculptor Carl Milles?
The William Volker Memorial Fountain at Volker and Oak.

A statuary fountain from the Long Island estate of tycoon Clarence Mackay was transplanted to Kansas City over 30 years ago. Where is it now and what is it called?
The J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain on the Country Club Plaza.

Rising above a busy downtown street is the monumental fountain statue of an unclothed woman. The sculptor said of her, "There's a difference between a beautiful nude and a figure that is just naked." What fountain was he referring to and where is it located?
The Muse of the Missouri at 9th and Main.

The Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain at 39th and Gillham Road features a laurel wreath flanked by two female figures and a pair of eagles. Where did that statuary come from?
It was on the exterior of New York City's Pennsylvania Station before that railroad depot was torn down.

The seven-foot wreath on the Eagle Scout Memorial Fountain at 39th and Gillham Road now frames an Eagle Scout badge. What was its original purpose?
It contained a huge clock when it was part of New York City's Pennsylvania Station.

A fountain on Armour Boulevard was built in memory of the Kansas Citian who founded the Order of DeMolay and was imperial Potentate of the Shriners. What was his name?
Frank S. Land.

Where in Kansas City will you find an indoor waterfall cascading down a natural rock cliff several stories high?
In the lobby of the Westin Crown Center Hotel.

Downtown Kansas City's largest public fountain is a 51-million water spectacular with changing colored lights. What is its name and where is it located?
The Barney Allis Plaza Fountain on the south side of 12th Street between Wyandotte and Central.

Kansas City rightfully claims the title "City of Fountains." Only one other city has more fountains. What is that city?
Rome, Italy.

Kansas City's earliest fountains were not intended primarily as works of art. They were much more utilitarian. What was their purpose?
They were watering troughs for horses. (In 1900, the horse population of Kansas City was estimated at 70,000!)

All but one of Kansas City's public fountains are shut off in the winter. Why ix that one left on?
To create spectacular ice formations.

Name the Kansas City public fountain that continues to flow in the winter so that natural ice sculptures will form.
Northland Fountain, Vivion and North Oak

Which of Kansas City's fountains is its most photographed and where is it?
The J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, Country Club Plaza.

The statuary in a favorite fountain of Kansas City strollers was discovered in a junk dealer's warehouse and bought for its value as scrap metal. What is the name of this art bargain and where will we find it?
Neptune Fountain on the Country Club Plaza. (47th Street just west of Wornall Road.)

One of a small number of so-called wall fountains in Kansas City memorializes the young local doctor who was the first American officer to lose his life overseas in World War I. The Army General Hospital in Denver also bears his name. Who was he? Where is his memorial fountain?
1st Lt. William T. Fitzsimons, U. S. Army Medical Corps. 12th and Paseo.

A modest fountain installed nearly 70 years ago at the entrance to a subdivision at 67th and Wornall was the first to be placed by a Kansas City developer. Who was he?
J. C. Nichols.

Kansas City's oldest fountain centerpiece is a statue of sea horses. What is the name of the fountain? Approximately how old are the sea horses?
Meyer Circle Fountain. Over 350 years old (17th Century Venice).

A celebrated Kansas City fountain is better known as an ornate lamp post than for its frequently overlooked running water and reflecting pool. What is the fountain's name and location?
The Seville Light at the eastern gateway to the Country Club Plaza. (It is an exact replica of a fountain in Seville, Spain, which is one of Kansas City's sister cities.)

Cynical government employees gave nicknames to two descending rows of fountain pools built at extravagant public cost during the Depression. One was called "Lug" for the bite that political bosses took from their pay. The other was called "Cut" for reductions in their salaries. Describe the location of these rows of fountains.
They are on the south lawn of City Hall sloping toward the County Courthouse on the other side of Oak Street.

A waterfall 56 feet wide and 17 feet high serves as the backdrop for a statue of the Goddess Diana playing with three small children and a goose. Where is this concave curtain of water?
At the northeast corner of the Fairmont Hotel (overlooking Wornall Road and Brush Creek).

A pig is one of the most popular fountain statues on the Country Club Plaza. It serves as a life-size piggy bank for donations to Children's Mercy Hospital. The Boar Fountain on 47th Street near Wornall Road also is unusual for what other reason?
The pig's shiny nose. It has become traditional for passersby to rub it for good luck.

A fountain statue of cranes rising in flight was a gift in memory of Westport Garden Club leader Jane Hemingway Gordon. Where is this fountain.
In the Garden Room sponsored by the club at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Haff Circle Mirror Pool and Fountain, located on Meyer Boulevard across from the main entrance to Swope Park, is named for all-but-forgotten lawyer Delbert J. Haff. What was his historical importance.
Haff's work as Park Board attorney overcame legal obstacles to the acquisition of land for Kansas City's pioneering system of parks and boulevards.

What fountain has been seen live on television more often and in more American cities than any other Kansas City fountain? And who paid for it?
The Royals Stadium Water Spectacular during telecasts of baseball games. Royals owner Ewing Kauffman paid $1.5 million for it.

Where is the fountain in memory of a Greek immigrant that is topped by a sign pointing the way to customer parking at the 24-hour restaurant he founded?
The Nichols Restaurant fountain is at the entrance to the parking lot and 39th Terrace and Southwest Trafficway. (Frank Nichols founded the restaurant in 1921. The fountain erected by his son is a replica of one in the elder Nichols' native village.)

What Country Club subdivision is named for the sculptor whose statuary fountain of children graces its entrance?
Romanelli Gardens at 69th and Wornall. (Sculptor Romano Romanelli was a favorite of developer J. C. Nichols.)

The Spirit of Freedom Fountain at Cleveland Avenue and Brush Creek Boulevard is a tribute to the contribution of black citizens to the history of Kansas City. The fountain was the brainchild of what leader?
The late Bruce R. Watkins, Fifth District City Councilman and first black nominee for Mayor of Kansas City.