J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain

W. 47th St. btwn. J. C. Nichols Pkwy. and Main St., Kansas City
www.kcfountains.org [1]

The best known and most photographed fountain in Kansas City [2], the J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, is a significant tribute to iconic developer Jesse Clyde Nichols, whose extensive résumé includes the Country Club Plaza [3].

Created in the early 1900s in Paris, the sculptural fountain originally embellished Clarence Mackay’s Long Island mansion. After a fire destroyed Mackay’s mansion and the fountain’s figures were damaged, the pieces were sold for salvage and purchased by the Nichols family.

The fountain was later transported to Kansas City, refurbished, and dedicated in 1960. Four statuesque horses surround a multi-tiered pool of water that shoots spray both upward and in arcs across the sizable water feature.

At night, the illuminated fountain becomes even more eye-catching.