Fountain of Time

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Fountain of Time is a 102 foot long sculpture located in Washington Park in Chicago. It was created by Lorado Taft. The sculpture was installed in 1922 around a large reflecting pool. The statue, on the western end of the Midway Plaisance, was intended to be matched by a sister fountain, Fountain of Creation, on the opposite end of the Midway, which was never built—or, rather, never completed; surviving elements stand outside the entrance to the Main Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The statue's title (Fountain of Time) comes from the poetry of Henry Austin Dobson: "Time goes, you say? Ah no, Alas, time stays, we go."

The sculpture is made of reinforced concrete and depicts Father Time watching over a parade of 100 humans. Concrete did not prove to be a good medium for an outdoor sculpture in Chicago. Ironically for a statue that calls attention to the passage of time, the changing seasons have crumbled much of the fine detail created by Taft and his staff. Heavily damaged by the elements, the statue underwent a long-term renovation project, which began in 2002. The restoration included work on the basin, which was designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw.

Below are pictures of the Fountain of Time taken in August 2007 (after restoration).