The Crown Fountain in Millennium Park is a gift to the people of Chicago by the Crown family. Located at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street, this interactive piece is a poetic meditation on the elemental and sensual qualities of water and light. The world renowned Spanish artist Jaume Plensa was commissioned to create the work.
Architects: Krueck & Sexton Architects Location: Millennium Park Chicago, Illinois, USA Owner’s Representative: U.S. Equities Development MEP Engineers: Environmental Systems Design Structural Engineers: Halvorson + Kaye Water Feature Consultants: Crystal Fountains Video Art: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Photographs: Cesar Russ, William Zbaren, Hedrich Blessing, Courtesy of Krueck + Sexton Architects, Courtesy of Millennium Park
The piece consists of two 50-foot high translucent towers constructed of glass brick that glow with internal light on all sides. Large LED video screens are positioned behind the opposing faces of the two towers. Water flows over the tower faces and onto a plaza in a thin film. The faces of Chicagoans of all ages and backgrounds appear on the LED screens, the goal being to create a project “inspired by and created for the people, that will open up the souls of the city’s inhabitants by serving as an archive of its people”.
Krueck + Sexton Architects was selected to undertake the overall execution of the project. This included working through the complex technical requirements that the project demanded and the careful coordination of specialty consultants assembled from across the country.
