Buckingham Fountain reopened after vandalism by anti-war protesters

Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park reopened Sunday morning after its closure on Saturday due to vandalism by anti-war protesters.

At around 11 a.m. on Sunday, the Chicago Park District announced that the fountain was back in operation after its jets had been turned off since the previous morning.

The vandalism – which included dying the fountain’s water red and spray-painting messages opposing the war in Gaza – is believed to have occurred overnight on Friday. 

After it was discovered, park district employees cleaned away spray-painted messages such as “Stop the Genocide” and “Gaza is Bleeding.” Employees also drained the water from the fountain to remove the dyed water.

The area around the fountain remained accessible during the work, but the water was shut off.

The reopening of Buckingham Fountain also coincided with the reopening of “The Bean” in Millennium Park, which had been closed to the public for ten months due to construction. The sculpture reopened in time for Millennium Park’s 20th anniversary next month.

Buckingham Fountain opened to the public in 1927 and was designed to be the centerpiece of Grant Park, according to the park district. 

The fountain was inspired by the Latona Basin in Versailles, France, but is double its size and meant to symbolize the vastness of Lake Michigan. It uses 15,000 gallons of water per minute and shoots water up to 150 feet in the air.