The Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, aka Buckingham Fountain, the centerpiece of Chicago's Grant Park, is named after Clarence Buckingham.

Clarence's sister, Kate Sturges Buckingham, donated funds for the construction of this famed fountain, formally titled the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain. Constructed in 1927, the fountain is one of the largest of its kind with a center jet that streams water 150 feet in the air. The structure was designed by Chicago architect Edward Bennet who, along with French sculptor Marcel Loyau and engineer Jazques H. Lambert, built the fountain in the vein of the Latona Basin at Versailles.

The fountain is designed to symbolize Lake Michigan, with four pairs of Art Deco style sea horses that symbolize the four states that border Lake Michigan's shoreline. During its more impressive water displays, the fountain circuits through more than 15,000 gallons of water per minute. In total, the fountain contains more than 1,500,000 gallons of water and contains nearly 200 jets. The fountain was constructed at a cost of $750,000, along with the Buckingham Fountain Endowment Fund with an initial investment of $300,000 to pay for maintenance. Buckingham Fountain was dedicated on August 26, 1927.

Today, it's known as the "front door to Chicago's front yard" in reference to its flagship position in Grant Park, and it was added to the National Registry of historic Places, July 21, 1993.