Many of Kansas City’s most famous fountains and sculptures are found on the Country Club Plaza, one of the nation’s first suburban shopping districts and a veritable outdoor museum of Romantic Spanish architecture and European art.

It’s not uncommon to see a just-married bride and groom or a group of prom dates posing near the fountain at Mill Creek Park, a signature landmark. Formerly known as the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, this grand water sculpture features four heroic horsemen representing four of the world’s mightiest rivers: the Mississippi, the Volga, the Seine, and the Rhine. Additionally, four smaller figures of children play on fish but are often referred to as dolphins. 

The Plaza’s first fountain, “Boy and Fish Fountain,” was installed at 47th Street and J. C. Nichols Parkway in 1923, but it was moved to 79th Street and The Paseo in 1968.

From the 8,000-pound cast lead Mythological fountain sculpture Neptune, the Roman God of the Sea, roaring through turbulent waters, or the Fountain of Bacchus surrounded by nymphs and satyrs, to sculptures of Benjamin Franklin and the life-sized, bronze Monkey Business sculpture, the craftsmanship and presentation of these works of art make Kansas City what it is today.