Grant Park's iconic Buckingham Fountain was back in action Sunday morning following a dramatic closure due to vandalism by anti-war protesters the previous day, the Chicago Tribune reports. Protesters had turned the water blood-red and tagged the surrounding plaza with messages such as "Stop the Genocide" and "Gaza is Bleeding."
Details released by the Chicago Park District revealed that the highly concentrated pond dye used to color the water is believed to be non-toxic, but the spectacle led to the temporary shuttering of the fountain. After considerable effort that entailed drainage and cleaning, the fixture was deemed ready for its usual operation. A source told CBS Chicago that after draining and refilling the fountain water remained "so opaque" indicating that the pigment was not so easily washed away, the reopening signals a swift clean-up operation and a resounding message to vandals.
Though the graffiti messages have been wiped away, they reflect a stark opposition to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, a sentiment that only weeks ago resulted in a brief-lived protest tent encampment near the fountain. No arrests have been made in relation to the incident, though Chicago Police are involved in the ongoing investigation, CBS Chicago notes.
Local reactions were mixed with visitors expressing both disappointment at the surprise closure and some sympathy for the underlying cause. "I expected to see water! I mean, come on, and yeah, it's a little disappointing," said Tom Martin, a visitor from Washington. Simultaneously, Karen Wintz from New Orleans shared her bewilderment upon discovering the fountain not in its usual glory. "We've been walking all day, and I'm like, what? And so I go to my phone to see what hours it comes on, because I thought maybe it is a night thing—and that's when I found the news article that it had been, I guess, vandalized," Wintz told CBS Chicago.
As it stands, Buckingham Fountain – a symbol of Lake Michigan and one of the world's largest fountains of its kind – is fully operational once again. The spectacle comes just in time for the approaching 20th anniversary of Millennium Park next month, and the coincidental reopening of "The Bean" after a ten-month hiatus for construction work. With its significance dating back to 1927, the fountain continues to be a prominent feature in Chicago’s cultural and civic scenery, despite the occasional disruption.
