Lincoln Park has so much history. With 2 beautiful ponds, a free zoo, a conservatory, and many monuments that have stories hidden in them. This tour will take you through the South Pond area that is between North Avenue and Fullerton Avenue. Enjoy this tour anytime of the year!
Children's Fountain
North Avenue & Clark Street
Chicago has had only one female mayor - Jane Byrne from 1979 - 1983. Before the end of her short term she had 2 monuments commissioned the Veteran's Monument on the River Walk and this one called the Children's Fountain. Dedicated in 1982 to all the magical children and generations that built this great city.
This is a fitting location at the entry of the Chicago History Museum and the new park area. Originally the fountain created on site was placed in the middle of Wacker drive near Wabash. When the reconstruction of Wacker Drive started in 2001 and with a new Mayor Daley in office the statue was placed in storage not to be seen again until 2005 when it was uncrated, cleaned and restored on a new granite based and placed here.
Take notice of the beautiful iron work created by Robinson Iron from Alexander City, Alabama. The fountain consists of 4 tiers of musical instruments, cranes and playful children.
Greene Vardiman Black
North Avenue & Astor Street
Who is Greene Vardiman Black? Take a guess who this warm and inviting statue is dedicated to - someone who we should all thank for his contributions. Mr. Black is the Father of Modern Dentistry. It was him who raised the bar of dentistry from a trade of pulling teeth to a profession.
Born in. Winchester, IL in 1836 he spent his childhood on a farm. Greene was a musician playing the piano, violin and cello and loved nature - a true Midwest Renaissance Man.
By the age of 17 he took interest in medicine and learned a lot from his brother Dr. Thomas Black. In 1857 Greene met Dr. J.C. Speer who taught him the practice of dentistry.
Mr. Black had many inventions in his field but 2 of the more popular one's were the foot driven dental drill and he developed the formula for manufacturing silver fillings. He also invented most of his own dental instruments and his book Dental Anatomy first appeared in 1890 as the textbook for dentistry.
In 1891 Mr. Black helped organize the Northwestern University Dental School and was Dean of the School from 1897 - 1914. The school closed in 2001.
The statue was unveiled by the National Dental Association in 1918 - 3 years after his death. Over 1500 members of the association attended the unveiling ceremonies. The sculptor was done by Frederick C. Hubbard who used bronze in limestone to create this inviting statue.
Fountain Girl
South of W. LasSalle Drive and East of Chicago History Museum
One of my favorite statues in the park. Fountain Girl has so much history. This fountain was first seen at the World's Columbian Expo in 1893 thanks to the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).
In the late 1800's the WCTU was encouraging their members to create public drinking fountains throughout the world to provide "pure drinking" as an alternative to liquor. The Juvenile division sponsored a program in which over 350,000 children participated in giving pennies and nickels to have this statute created for the Exposition. They raised over $3,000 and commissioned George Wade to create this beautiful fountain.
He created this bronze girl with outstretched hands holding a small bowl that resembled the Loyal Temperance Union badge which water flowed into a stone basin below. When it was displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition it provided refreshment to people, horses and dogs. Two years after the Expo the statue was moved to the Women's Temple on LaSalle and Monroe. Later three copies were made and installed in London, Detroit and Portland.
In 1921 the fountain was moved to Lincoln Park first near Lake Shore Drive and North Avenue and when reconstruction started on Lake Shore Drive it was put into storage in the late 1930's and then brought back out in the 1940's to its current location.
But wait, there is more to the story. In 1958 the fountain was stolen and the stone basin sat empty for years. Finally in 2007 a Lincoln Park resident, Jeanette Van Nice, had fond memories of the statue and with her contributions and the help from the State of Illinois, Chicago Park District, and Lincoln Park Conservancy they were able to make a reproduction from the mold of the fountain that is in Portland, Maine. The original was never found and the replica was installed in 2012 and is the one you are enjoying now.
Abraham Lincoln: The Man
North Avenue & Dearborn Parkway
Take a step back and view this 11 1/2 foot bronze statue of our 16th President Abraham Lincoln standing in front of a very large chair in all of its beauty. Sculptor Augustus Saint- Gaudens created this life size statute in 1887. Augustus Saint Garudens was the most important sculptor of the 1800's. This statute is considered one of his best works and was unveiled on October 22, 1887 to a crowd of 10,000 including Lincoln's grandson.
Augustus saw Lincoln when he was just 12 years old as Lincoln made his journey to Washington for his inauguration. Five years later he viewed President Lincoln's body as it laid in state in New York. This left such an impression on Augustus and we see his reverence for Lincoln in this impressive piece of work.
This statue was a gift from Eli Bates, who made his fortune in the lumber business and left $40,000 in his will for an Abraham Lincoln monument to be located in Lincoln Park.
A committee was selected and held a design competition, Augustus did not participate in the competition and the committee decided to hire him after rejecting all the applications.
Augustus wanted to find a model for the sculpture and was told by a friend that he could find Lincoln shaped men in Cornish, New Hampshire. It was there that he found Langdon Morse, a 6 foot 4 inch tall farmer from Vermont to become his model. In addition to his real live model, Augustus used a plaster life mask of Lincoln that was completed in 1860 by Chicago sculptor Leonard Volk. By using the mold for the face and hands Augustus was able to create a realistic sculpture. Observe Lincoln's clothing which is quite contemporary, his head is bowed, hand on lapel and one foot forward. All of this depicts the President deep in thought and about to give a speech.
A few other things to observe is the gorgeous oval architectural setting and pedestal that was designed by Stanford White a close personal friend of Augustus. The pedestal is 7 feet high, decorated with stars and has an inscription "Gift of Eli Bates/Abraham Lincoln".
Walk around the back of the chair and notice the eagle with wings spread. The chair is very ornate and meant to represent the Presidency. The oval setting is 60 feet wide by 30 feet deep and has eagle wings carved in each end, Lastly, note the two bronze globes at either end of the oval setting, Each bear quotes from Lincoln's speeches.
There are replicas of this statue in London and Mexico City but having the opportunity to stand in front of this elegant work of art is a real treat.
Couch Mausoleum
South of LaSalle Drive and North of Chicago History Museum
Why is there a mausoleum in a city park? Before Lincoln Park became the beautiful place it is today it was the city cemetery. Our first cemetery was on Michigan Avenue and the river near Fort Dearborn. When the city was incorporated in 1837 they moved the cemetery to this location which at the time was 1 mile out of city limits in 1843 where it remained until 1866 when it ceased burials. A few years later they began removing the remains to other cemeteries outside of the city limits due to health concerns which included contaminated water from the decomposed bodies causing cholera outbreaks.
The Couch Mausoleum which was erected in 1858 and is one of the oldest structures still remaining from the 1871 Chicago Fire (which blazed as far North as Fullerton Avenue - approximately a mile from where you are standing).
The mausoleum was built for Ira Couch who arrived in Chicago from New York in 1833 and became the proprietor of the Tremont Hotel which was a very fashionable hotel of it's time.
The first two hotel structures which were constructed of wood were destroyed by fires and the third structure was a 5 story high brick building with 260 rooms and designed by John Van Osdel who was considered the best architect of the time. He also designed the mausoleum you are viewing.
Ira Couch became ill while vacationing in Cuba in 1857 and died. His body was transported back to Chicago and remained in a vault while his brother James had this mausoleum built for a cost of $7,000.
One speculation as to why it remains here in the park is because of the cost to move the 50 tons of marble would be too expensive. It is also a great reminder of Lincoln's Park pre-1864 use as a city cemetery.
Benjamin Franklin Statue
East of North Stockton Drive
As you stand in front of this impressive 9 foot 6 inch bronze statue on a granite base of Benjamin Franklin it allows you to remember some of his great accomplishments. This statue was dedicated by Joseph Medill who was the editor of the Chicago Tribune along with the Old Times Printers Association. At the time Medill wrote "I have deemed it a personal duty to keep his memory fresh in the minds of Chicago's youth."
Benjamin Franklin of course is mostly remembered as one of the founding fathers who drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence. He was also the first postmaster general and at the age of 23 was the editor and printer of the Pennsylvania Gazette.
As a scientist he is known for his studies of electricity and as an inventor for his inventions of the bifocals, lightening rod and the Franklin stove to name a few.
Ulysses S. Grant Monument
West of North Cannon Drive between Fullerton Avenue and North Avenue
You are now looking at what was the largest statue in the United States at this time, which is 1891 when this statue of Ulysses S. Grant was erected. It weighs over 8 tons stands 18 feet and rises 60 feet above the ground made of bronze and sits on a rugged stone Romanesque arch. The cost including the pedestal was $75,000. There were many artists that competed to design this memorial with Louis Rebisso a Cincinnati based sculptor winning the proposal.
Ulysses Grant was a Civil War hero by bringing the war to an end as the Commander of the Union Army in 1865. He was then promoted to General of the Army. With no political experience but loved by the people he was elected our 18th president in 1869 for two terms.
You may be asking why this statue is located here in Lincoln Park. The infamous Potter Palmer's wife's sister Ida was married to Grant's son Frederick Dent Grant. When Grant died in 1885 and news reached Palmer in Chicago he immediately began talks with Lincoln Park Board to raise funds to honor Ulysses. Palmer donated $5,000 and within one week $30,000 was raised.
The unveiling of the statue took place in 1891 with a great celebration beginning miles south at Michigan Avenue and Jackson Blvd with marching bands, carriages and Civil War vets. Tens of thousands attended the ceremony with Grant's widow being the guest of honor.
Hans Christian Andersen
Stockton Drive and Dickens Street
A beautiful whimsical statue of one of Denmark's famous author Hans Christian Andersen is located towards the south entry of the Lincoln Park Zoo. Funds were donated by Danish Americans all over the country and they raised $10,000 over five years and commissioned John Johannes Gelert to sculpt this 8 foot bronze statue.
Hans wrote over 150 fairy tales but as you look around the back of this statue you will see a swan representing one of his best known stories "The Ugly Duckling."
A crowd of 10,000 came for the unveiling in 1896 where the Danish Counsel spoke these words - "Let this creation of bronze stand here as a memento of our gratitude and affection toward the land of liberty, the United States...To coming generations it shall speak of our love of American and Chicago and of our sincere desire of being and of teaching them to be worthy citizens of our adopted country."
Friedrich Von Schiller
Stockton Drive and Webster Street
Friedrich Von Schiller was one of the most important figures in German literature as a poet and playwright. Best known for his hymn "Ode to Joy" chosen by Beethoven for his Ninth Symphony. This was one of the first statues to be placed in Lincoln Park in 1886. Proposed by a club of people from Schwaben (southwestern part of Germany) where Schiller was born.
The German population was one of the largest ethnic groups in Chicago at this time and they raised over $3,000 for this monument. The original statue stands in Marbach, Germany. The statue you are looking at is a copy of the original which the club felt was the finest statue of Schiller, showing him as a young man. The statue was created from the original mold in Germany and shipped to Chicago.
Dedicated in May of 1886 over 7,000 people attended. It was planned to be unveiled on Sunday May 9th the anniversary of Schiller's death but the Lincoln Park Board asked to move it to Saturday because they were afraid too many people would show up on a Sunday and ruin the flower beds that you see in the park.
William Shakespeare
Lincoln Park West & Belden
Considered the world's greatest playwright Shakespeare is displayed here with a life-size bronze statue that was a gift from Samuel Johnston, a Chicago real estate developer, who left $10,000 in his will in for a memorial to Shakespeare in Lincoln Park. In 1886, a competition was held to select a sculptor. William Ordway Partridge who was a graduate from Columbia University and who had studied sculpture in France and Italy won the honor to complete this statue.
One of the biggest challenges for Partridge was that the only two portraits of Shakespeare had been done after his death in 1616. So like any great sculptor he did a study of Shakespeare's life in Elizabethan England. He reviewed many existing artworks and finally examined a death mask that was believed to be authentic.
A plaster model of this statue was displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 and had the work cast in bronze in Paris and shipped to Chicago. On April 23rd 1894 (the date of both the birth and death of William Shakespeare) was unveiled. At the dedication ceremony, Partridge stated "Shakespeare needs nothing of bronze. His monument is England, America and the whole of Saxondom. He placed us upon a pedestal, but one cannot place him on one, for he belongs among the people whom he so dearly loved." This statement reflects the low pedestal on which the sculpture sits giving us the best view and access to this amazing statue.
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