J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, Kansas City, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain is a large bronze fountain at the south end of Mill Creek Park in Kansas City, Missouri, just beside the Country Club Plaza. Its rearing horsemen were sculpted in France in 1910 and crossed the country before landing here, which makes it one of the best-known pieces in a city that calls itself the City of Fountains.

The story behind it

The figures were made by the French sculptor Henri-Léon Gréber in 1910 for Harbor Hill, the Long Island estate of the millionaire Clarence Mackay. They stayed there for decades before being brought to Kansas City in 1951. The city, the Nichols family and private donors helped pay for the move and the restoration, and the fountain was dedicated in 1960 in memory of the developer J. C. Nichols, who built the Country Club Plaza.

The four horsemen are said to stand for four great rivers: the Mississippi, the Volga, the Seine and the Rhine. The Mississippi rider is shown fending off an alligator, and the Volga rider is paired with a bear. Around the pool, figures of children ride on fish that locals usually call dolphins.

What to look for

• Look at the four rearing horsemen and try to match each one to its river by the animal at its side, such as the alligator for the Mississippi and the bear for the Volga.
• Walk around the pool to find the children riding the fish, which are easy to miss while you are looking up at the horses.
• Notice how the water is arranged so that the bronze figures seem to be moving, especially when the fountain is running and the spray catches the light.
• Take in the setting, with the open lawns of Mill Creek Park around the fountain and the Plaza close by.

Tips for your visit

• The fountain stands in an open public park, so you can walk right up to it. Allow 15 to 30 minutes to circle it and take photos.
• Early morning and late afternoon give softer light and fewer people, and the fountain also looks good in the evening.
• The Country Club Plaza is next door, so it is easy to pair the fountain with a stroll, a coffee or a meal.
• Fountains in Kansas City are often switched off in colder months, so check current conditions if you hope to see the water running.

See it on a quest

On Ghost Hunt in Kansas City, you reach the fountain on foot as one stop of a longer route through the area. The app tells you about the place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Kansas City also passes the fountain, so you see it as part of a mystery-themed walk rather than a quick photo stop. You get the story at each place and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

If you prefer a lighter theme, Dorothy’s Quest: The Trials of Oz in Kansas City brings you here too, on a self-guided route with a puzzle at the spot. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.