The Drake Fountain, also known as the Columbus Monument, is located on a triangular site bounded by 92nd Street, South Chicago Avenue and Exchange Avenue in the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

neighborhood known as

South Chicago South Chicago, formerly known as Ainsworth, is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. This chevron-shaped community is one of Chicago's 16 lakefront neighborhoods near the southern rim of Lake Michigan 10 miles south of downtown. ...

History

John B. Drake, owner of the city's Grand Pacific Hotel and later the

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

and Blackstone Hotels, gave the fountain to the residents so those in The Loop would have chilled drinking water. The structure was designed by

Richard Henry Park Richard Henry Park (also Richard Hamilton Park; February 17, 1838—November 7, 1902) was an American sculptor who worked in marble and bronze. He was commissioned to do work by the wealthy of the nineteenth century. He did a marble bust of John ...

and originally stood on Washington Street adjacent to Chicago City Hall. The monument was dedicated in December 1892 to the 400th anniversary of the first voyage of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

. In 1906, it was moved to LaSalle Street and, in 1909, to its present site.

Architecture

The fountain is composed of granite and designed in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. It consists of a square column with a pyramidal cap on a

quatrefoil A quatrefoil (anciently caterfoil) is a decorative element consisting of a symmetrical shape which forms the overall outline of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter. It is found in art, architecture, heraldry and traditional ...

base. The column and cap are ornamented with classical columns and other carvings. At each corner of the column is a

flying buttress The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of an arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, in order to convey lateral forces to the ground that are necessary to pu ...

which rises behind a large circular basin. The basins originally were drinking fountains and were chilled by ice blocks placed in the monument's base but currently serve as planters. The chambers under the fountain were large enough to accommodate two-tons of ice. A bronze statue of Christopher Columbus stands in front of the column on a square granite base. Columbus is depicted during his university days and holds globe in his left hand and a compass in his right. Above the statue is a bronze plaque stating ''ICE WATER FOUNTAIN GIFT OF JOHN B. DRAKE TO THE CITY OF CHICAGO 1892''. The fountain was refurbished in 1986 and became a Chicago landmark March 10, 2004. It was rededicated October 8, 2004.

Removal of Christopher Columbus statue

On July 31, 2020, the Drake Fountain Columbus statue, which was also the last Christopher Columbus monument in Chicago, was removed for undisclosed period. The Mayor's office released a statement claiming "Following public safety concerns over planned demonstrations similar to the one in Grant Park two weeks ago, the city has temporarily relocated the Christopher Columbus statue at Drake Fountain in the South Chicago neighborhood until further notice.”

References

Fountains in Illinois Chicago Landmarks Granite sculptures in Illinois Bronze sculptures in Illinois Outdoor sculptures in Chicago

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Statues removed in 2020 {{Chicago-struct-stub