J.C. Nichols Fountain in Blue, Kansas City Postcard

Many fountains in Kansas City, Missouri, were blue in honor of the city's sports team season, including the city's most famous fountain, the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain on the Country Club Plaza. Kansas City has more fountains than any city in the world except Rome, Italy, and is officially known as the City of Fountains. Most of the first fountains in Kansas City served practical rather than decorative purposes, providing clean water to people, horses and dogs. Fountain building and the use of decorative statuary exploded in the 1920s after developer J.C. Nichols used them extensively in the development of Country Club Plaza. The four allegorical equestrian figures reportedly represent four great rivers of the world — the Mississippi River, Volga River, Seine River, and Rhine River. Sculptures of little children riding dolphins in the pool surround the main figures. In the background, the low white building on the right is the Community Christian Church, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.