It's About Time!

By Rachelle Bowden in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 8, 2005 9:55PM

Located in Washington Park, Lorado Taft's Fountain of Time is a magnificent sculptural landmark that includes 100 human figures and a towering Father Time, seperated by a reflecting pool. After more than a dozen years of work, it was unveiled in 1922 to celebrate 100 years of peace with England. The sculpture was based on poet Austin Dobson's poem Paradox of Time: "Time goes, you say? Ah no, Alas, time stays, we go." A little tidbit you may not have known - one of the figures is a self-portrait Taft did of himself! But alas, the sculpture and the pool are getting freaking old and starting to show signs of wear & tear.

In a combined effort by the Hyde Park Historical Society, the Art Institute, and the Chicago Park District back in 2003, the sculptures were restored and presented to the public. Those fixes saved Taft's damanged sculptures, but what still needed fixing up was the reflection pool, which is an integral part of the whole experience.

Yesterday, the Chicago Park District just announced plans to fix the cracked and chipped reflecting pool. The work will begin this summer and the money for the project is coming from the park district, the University of Chicago, and a public-private (?) initiative called Save America's Treasures. But that's not enough. .. of the $2 million needed for the restoration they're still about $150,000 short on cash. So, will the work still start?

For more photographs of the Fountain of Time, check out the University of Illinois Archives here. It's where we got the top photo. The second photo is via wikipedia.