Ah Ken, I see you are a fellow fountain fan [Where have all the fountains gone? Ken Trainor, July 6].
The best lunch of the year was at “Taste” — not as much for the food as for the view the wife and I had as we lucked out to get a parasol-shaded table to ourselves on the west side of Buckingham Fountain, looking east through the fountain to the lake.
A photo of the fine Farson fountain you mentioned can be found on page 34 in David M. Sokol’s new book, “Oak Park – The Evolution of a Village.” The fountain looks impressive and, yes, it should be brought back in all its glory.
I take exception to the comments about our beloved Oak Park, though! There isn’t a complete dearth of fountains, but one has to look! Oak Park doesn’t have as many fountains as, say, Antigua, Guatemala (more fountains per capita than any place, though many are sans water in their dry season), but we have some.
There is a small but beautiful fountain in the courtyard apartment building just north of the mentioned Mills Park on Pleasant where it joins Home. It is one of Oak Park’s “hidden gems”!
There is a pretty decent fountain at the bank, U.S. Bank, I believe, (sorry if I got the name wrong — I only notice the fountain) at North Avenue and Austin. Then there is the Horse Show Fountain in Scoville Park, where the best drink of water in town is located. The part where horses drank is now flower planters, but it has its beauty. I didn’t realize until recently that it was a Frank Lloyd Wright design.
Now, concerning the “water feature” on the “new and improved Marion Street,” I can’t complain. Remember what was there when we tried to “save the mall”? It was a trash can! Get a beverage and a newspaper, sit down, and relax, the sounds are soothing. I think the overflow is recycled and it is self-cleaning. The “spouts” are probably low because, if they were higher, winds would wet passersby and they would complain.
How about the village hall? There is a fine fountain. The next time you go to pay a parking fine, notice it.
There are fountains in the parks, too! Fox and Field parks have splash pads, or as I call them, kid’s fountains. There is a great-big fountain in the Rehm Park wading pool. Do not those count as fountains?
In addition to the mentioned courtyard-building fountain, there are far from few fountains found on private property. Heck, though our south Oak Park home is on a wide but super-narrow lot, I have a small (very) fountain/pond, with a shaded reading spot, and there are many others, though many are hidden from view.
Oak Park maybe isn’t fountain-full, but it isn’t completely fountain-less. I am sure your readers can find more.
Now as for River Forest, I can’t defend them!
Brent Borgerson is an Oak Park resident.