fountains chapter 2

We learned a lot our first day that helped us to better plan and execute day two. Marine was busy with her real job, so Amanda and I were flying solo as we continued to embark on this crazy journey. Our first stop was an indicator that the whole day was bound to be a super interesting one! Quenching Cup fountain was first on our list for that day and number 26 in total. When we arrived at the location, we had to convince a security guard to unlock a restricted area and allow us access to the fountain. That was only the beginning of a day filled with illegal parking and driving maneuvers, wandering on private properties, and the collection of 50 fountains in a day!

The Bernard Powell fountain encouraged communities uniting to create a better environment. It was built across from the boyhood home of Bernard Powell in 1985 for $170,000. A life size statue of Powell was added in 1991 along with a time capsule in the corner of the memorial to be opened in 2041. Powell famous phrase was "Ghetto or Goldmine - The Choice Is Yours." It is stated on the memorial that he believed "Strong families make strong neighborhoods, strong neighborhoods make strong communities, strong communities make districts, strong districts make strong counties, strong counties make strong states, and strong states make a strong nation."

The Scottish Rite fountain is at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City which is the home to the oldest fraternity in the world: Freemasonry.

Along our path to the next fountain we snapped this awesome black and white mural of Martin Luther King Jr. 

The old Kansas City Star building is home to the Kansas City Star fountain. I have seen their new building protruding over I-70 for years, but had never taken the time to visit the old building. This fountain joined my list of favorites and gave insight to a part of the city we had never travelled to on our own. The Kansas City Star is the citywide newspaper which has been in production since 1880 and has won eight Pulitzer Prizes.

The Penn Tower fountain was located inside of Penn Tower and honestly, the best part about this stop was the bathroom break.

Directly across the street from Penn tower is the Fire Fighters fountain. The 48 nozzles on the fountain are actual fire hose nozzles. The fountain serves as a memorial to the Kansas City fire fighters. The names of each of the fire fighters who has lost their lives in service are etched on the granite pillars behind the fountain.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars fountain is outside the VFW National Headquarters. Five plaques are posted behind the fountain which say Future Vision, Community Service and Ladies Auxiliary, Remembrance, Legislative, and Origins.

Located outside the Kansas City Life Insurance Building, The KC Life 100 Years fountain sits on Broadway honoring the company.

The Newport Apartment fountain was a difficult one to find, but served as number 34 on our list.

The sculpture of the Eagle Scout Memorial fountain is a wreath with a woman and eagle on each side. This sculpture used to be hanging above the 7th Ave. entrance of Penn Station in New York City. The center had a clock, and the women on either side were to represent day and night. The sculpture was donated to Kansas City in the 1960s and the clock was replaced with the Eagle Scout badge.

In 1982 Kansas City decided to build a fountain as a memorial to Vietnam War veterans. A competition to design the fountain was created and Vietnam War veteran David Baker's design won. The fountain is made up of overlapping rectangular pools of water that grow in size to abstractly symbolize the United State's growth of involvement in the war. At the end, the water separates into two disconnected pools to represent how the country divided at the end of the war with views as to whether or not the U.S.'s involvement was justified. The water flowing through it all represents a cleansing of a country once divided. Behind the fountain is a wall inscribed with the names of the 385 men from the Kansas City area who were killed or missing in action.

Located in the center of the 12 story Embassy Suites atrium is fountain number 37 on our list.

The Spirit of Freedom fountain design is an abstract representation of Kansas City Jazz. The fountain itself is dedicated to the accomplishments of the black residents of Kansas City.

The large stone structure built into the hill you see in the left side of this picture is the home of what was the Hillside fountain which flowed as a waterfall down the stones.

The 40th fountain on our list was the D.W. Newcomer fountain.

Rockhurst University's fountain is located in the heart of its campus. College classes began in 1917 and today the University has approximately 3,000 students.

Just steps away from the Rockhurst University campus is the UMKC campus. The Epperson House wall fountain is located on their campus. The Epperson house was originally built in 1923 for $450,000. Mr. Epperson filled the home with elevators, a swimming pool, billiard room, and barber shop. He died four years after the home was complete and his widow donated it to UMKC. It was used as a men's dorm until 1956.

This was the only picture I was able to capture of the Stowers Gift of Life fountain. A kind, but firm security guard informed me that pictures are not allowed on the property to protect the privacy of the Stowers Research Institute.

 

Thank goodness they allow photos at the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman memorial gardens. Isn't it gorgeous? Ewing Kauffman was the founder of the Kansas City Royals, and started a pharmaceutical company that created more that 300 millionaires when the company sold in 1989. His family has contributed greatly to philanthropic efforts around the Kansas City area.

Speaking of philanthropists, William Volker donated $10 million of the $11 million he made to Kansas City. Not only was he a good guy, he is also my great, great, great, great uncle, which made finding this fountain extra special. The fountain represents the story of St. Martin and the Beggar and symbolizes Volker's generosity to the city. St. Martin was said to have given half of his cloak to a beggar on a winter day, then later dreamed that Jesus told him He had been the beggar that received part of his cloak.

The Robert H. Gillham fountain and wade pool were constructed in honor of Mr. Gillham who was considered the father of Kansas City's cable railway system.

One Sun/ 34 Moons is located outside The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The center represents the sun. The spots you see in the water are each a light. There are 34 in total representing moons.

Outside the Intercontinental Hotel is Diana. It was constructed in 1970 as a replica of a 1912 English statue.

The Kansas City Board of Trade was sold in 2012 for $126 million cash. It primarily trades hard red winter wheat which is the main ingredient for bread.

The Russell Stover fountain was not working, but sits in front of the Russell Stover building. Russell Stover is the largest producer of boxed chocolates in the United States. Knowing that, I would say it is safe to assume Kansas Citians benefit more from Valentine's day than anyone else since we are home to Russell Stover and Hallmark Cards.

On the front side of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is the E.F. Pierson Sculpture Garden fountain. E.F. Pierson was the founder of Vendo Company, a vending machine manufacturer. He loved the arts and donated several pieces to The Nelson-Atkins Museum.

We would have never found the Mill Creek Sanctuary fountain without the help of Amanda's mom. Unfortunately the vegetation is so overgrown that you cannot see the two cascading waterfalls that make up this fountain.

The Seville Light fountain is a replica of a fountain located at Giralda Tower in Kansas City's sister city Seville, Spain. Seville, Spain is also the inspiration for all the the architecture making up the Country Club Plaza, Kansas City's most prestigious shopping district.

The J.C. Nichols memorial fountain sits at the entrance to the Country Club Plaza. It was donated to Kansas City in 1952 by the Nichols family in honor of J.C. Nichols, the founder of the Plaza.

The three Court of Lions fountains are located on the outside of Halls, Hallmark's very own department store. Joyce Hall, founder of the exceptional department store, was known for saying "Good quality is good business." Halls has grown to be not only a successful business but a must visit Kansas City destination.

The Neptune fountain consists of an 8,000 pound statue that was built in England in 1911 and brought to Kansas City in 1952. Neptune is the Roman god of the sea, and the counterpart to the Greek god Poseidon.

The Aleman fountain is found in the Aleman Court on the Plaza. Aleman court grants access to Buca Di Beppo Restaurant.

We were confused as to why the Bronze Boar made our list because it is not and has never been a fountain. It is however a famous destination for people visiting the Plaza. It is one of three replicas of The Wild Boar of Florence. Just like the people of Italy, people in Kansas City are encouraged to make a wish while rubbing the boar's nose and drop a coin in the bank below. The money collected is donated to Children's Mercy Hospital.

The Children at Play fountain is nestled between stores on the Country Club Plaza.

Boy and Frog fountain was acquired for the Plaza in Florence, Italy in 1928. Although many think this is a boy peeing on a frog, careful examination will prove that the frog is shooting the water at the boy.

 The Allen Memorial fountain is only steps away from Boy and Frog. It was created in Italy by request from the Nichols family when J.C. Nichols daughter and son-in-law died in a house fire.

And in the same block as both the Boy and Frog and Allen Memorial fountains is the Four Fauns fountain. The initial fauns were created in Italy in the 1700s. Three out of the four fauns were stolen and have since been replaced with replicas.

The two mermaids on either side of the Mermaid fountain are more than 300 years old, but the fountain was not built until 1930. Like the Bronze Boar, coins collected by the Mermaid fountain are donated to Children's Mercy Hospital. The Mermaid courtyard is constantly home to live music and events.

The Court of Penguins is home to three 5 foot tall penguins outfitted by the Girl Scout of America and erected on the Plaza in 1979.

Pomona fountain is a replica of a statue found in the king's palace in Bangkok, Thailand. It was added to the Plaza in 1969. Pomona is the Roman goddess and protector of gardens.

The kind woman at the Plaza Tennis Center informed us that the Helen Spradling Boylan Memorial fountain has been out of service for over a year now.

Pegasus, like the Bronze Boar, was another one that confused us. Although it made the list of Kansas City fountains, it was strictly a statue.

The Marriott Residence Inn fountain is one block off the Plaza but still features Mediterranean  inspiration like the fountains on the Plaza.

The Commerce Bank on the Plaza is home to another one of those lion head fountains.

The Diane Sitting fountain is located at the entrance to the Seville parking garage on the West end of the Plaza.

The Loose Park Lake fountain is the location of the Battle of Westport where 29,000 people in the Confederate and Union forces battled during the Civil War.

The Laura Conyers Smith Rose Garden and fountain is a testament to the success of volunteers with a worth cause in Kansas City. It joins the Henry Wollman Bloch and KC Star fountains as one of my very favorites.

 The Adam and Eve fountain at Loose Park was park of a citywide competition to add aesthetic appeal to the Loose Park service building. They were revealed during the 1942 Rose Day celebration. The water elements were eliminated in 1946, but returned in 2011.

The 75th fountain on our list and final fountain we discovered on day 2 was the Bacchus fountain. Bacchus is the god of Wine. The sculpture in the center weighs 10,000 pounds and was created in England in 1911.

This concluded our fountain scavenger hunt thus far. We will continue to find more fountains when I visit the Kansas City area. There are at least 100 more out there, so the adventure awaits my return!