J C Nichols Memorial Fountain
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Mill Creek Park
Kansas City, MO
Map
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| AKA: , |
| Description: The sculpture incorporates four heroic-sized equestrian figures that stand 10 feet high and weight 1-1/2 tons each. Spaced equally between them are four smaller bronze figures of dolphins and children. The statuary is set in an 80 foot diameter pool and electric pumps in an underground room recirculate the water to form the nine huge fountain streams. The meaning of the figures is not clear. However, the then direction of Kansas City's Nelson Gallery of Art studied the equestrian gigures and suggested they were an allegory for rivers. According to Lawrence Sickman, the sculptor Greber was interesteed in rivers as a theme for his work. Sickman suggested the following: One of the mounted figures is an Indian battling against an alligator beneath the hooves of his horse. This figure could represent the Mississippi River. Another figure depicts a horseman slaying a bear. The bear, traditional symbol of Russia, might represent the Volga River. The other two riders are on horses rearing above human figurers with scaly fishtails. These figures might symbolize the Rhine and the Siene. The cherubs playing with dolphins would not necessarily have a bearing on the theme since they are found in many classic fountains. Children in the Kansas City area contributed more than $50,000 to the J. C. Nichols Fountain on the Plaza, the most prominent and most photographed fountain in Kansas City. |
| Inscription: THE JESSE CLYDE NICHOLS 1880 MEMORIAL 1950 J. C. NICHOLS WAS ONE OF THOSE RARE INDIVIDUALS, A DREAMER WITH A CAPACITY FOR MAKING HIS DREAMS COME TRUE. HE DREAMED MOREOVER IN TERMS OF GREAT PRACTICAL BENEFIT TO HIS CITY. FEW MEN CAN HAVE SO VARIOUSLY AND PROFOUNDLY INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANY AMERICAN COMMUNITY DONATED TO THE PEOPLE OF KANSAS CITY BY HIS MANY FRIENDS AND ACCEPTED BY THE BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS, 1958/HENRI GREBER/SCULPTOR |
| Type: Fountain |
| Also see: |
Address:
Intersection of 47th Street & J. C. Nichols Parkway
Location:Mill Creek Park
Kansas City, MO
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Owner:
City of Kansas City, MO |
Owner Address:
Parks & Recreation Commission
4600 E. 63rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64112
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| Artist: Henri Greber |
| Architect: Guy Lowell (1870-1927) for Mackay Estate where fou |
| Sculptor: |
| Replacement Artist: Herman Frederick Simon (did restoration work in 19 |
| Foundry: |
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| Date erected: 1960 |
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| Kansas City's best-known fountain was dedicated in 1960 to the memory of J. C. Nichols, the developer of the Country Club Plaza. |
