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A bronze Neptune figure atop a multi-jet fountain basin at the Country Club Plaza. Installed in the early 1950s as part of the post-WWII Plaza fountain investment wave.
History
The Neptune Fountain was installed at the Country Club Plaza approximately 1953. Like several of the Plaza’s mid-century fountains, the Neptune figure was imported from Italy as part of the J.C. Nichols Company’s continuing Plaza-decoration program (Nichols himself had died in 1950, but the Company continued his European-art-import practice).1
Architecture + materials
Cast bronze Neptune figure (trident, classical pose) atop a multi-jet limestone basin. Water emerges from multiple points around Neptune’s figure as well as the central plume.
Current status
Operating, with seasonal off-period in winter.
Cultural significance
The Neptune Fountain represents the continued Italian-import tradition of the Plaza beyond J.C. Nichols’s death. Where the Boy and Frog Fountain (1920s) was Nichols-era, the Neptune is post-Nichols-era J.C. Nichols Company continuation.
The fountain is a frequent backdrop for Plaza photography + events.
Visiting
- Address: Country Club Plaza, near 47th + Pennsylvania
- Best time to visit: Spring through fall
- Public access: Free
Sources
Footnotes
-
Country Club Plaza Inc. — Plaza fountains historical guide.. ↩