JC Nichols Memorial Fountain, Kansas City, USA
J.C.
Nichols Memorial Fountain - 1960
In Kansas City, which is known as “The City of Fountains” there is one outdoor fountain that is the most famous and most frequently photographed. The J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain was dedicated in 1960, however the history of the fountain began decades earlier. Jesse Clyde Nichols, known usually as J.C. Nichols, was an important developer in Kansas City who lived from 1880 to 1950. His developments figured prominently into the expansion and appearance of Kansas City. He was responsible for the Country Club Plaza that is known as the first suburban shopping area in the United States. In 1922, when his plans for the Plaza were revealed, a shopping district specifically designed for people arriving in cars had not been heard of. Nichols is considered a pioneer in that type of development, and Country Club Plaza has remained a successful shopping district since the time of its creation.
The fountain that would become the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain was made in Paris, in the year 1910 by the French sculptor Henri Greber. From there it transported to a large estate in Roslyn, New York, where it was named “The Mackay Fountain.” The outdoor fountain was the centerpiece of the large formal gardens there until 1949. A fire in 1938 destroyed the estate, and at some unknown point, the figures that made up the outdoor fountain were vandalized. In 1951, the figures of the fountain were sold for salvage. Members of the Nichols family brought the pieces to Kansas City.
Although the family had already begun plans for a memorial fountain when the figures were brought to Kansas City, it was not until 1957 that the Parks Department donated the necessary land, along with sidewalks and landscaping. The Nichols family and other friends donated money to repair the damage done to the Greber figures and restore them to working order. The reconstructed water fountain was installed as a part of the Country Club Plaza that had brought Nichols so much renown. It was dedicated the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain in 1960.
The fountain consists of a pool with an 80-foot diameter. Four mounted figures standing over ten feet high ring a two-tiered basin at the center of the pool. Although the actual meaning of the four figures is not clear, it is thought that they represent four of the world’s great rivers, the Rhine, Seine, Mississippi and Volga. The figure that represents the Mississippi is a mounted Native American throwing a spear towards the open mouth of another figure, an alligator. Smaller figures of children riding dolphins also ring the central basin. Water shoots 30 feet up from the center fountain basin and the dolphin figure shoot water towards the center.
The J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain has become one of the city’s most recognized water fountains. It is common to see just married couples being photographed in front of the fountain. In a city famous for its fountains, this water fountain is a fitting tribute to a man responsible for much of how the city looks. It is appropriate that the fountain is located in the plaza that is one of Nichols greatest achievements.