Marlborough Plaza Fountain

Purchased by real estate developer J.C. Nichols in 1923, this was the first fountain installed in the Country Club Plaza shopping district. The fountain was removed from its home on a busy traffic island when the Seville Light Fountain was installed, then was relocated to its current location in 1968. Originally called “Boy and a Fish,” the fountain has since lost the statues that once adorned it. In 2012, the fountain was conserved and renamed to the Marlborough Plaza Fountain, paying respect to the neighborhood of Marlborough and surrounding area.

This white marble fountain was purchased in 1923 by J.C. Nichols for his newly developed Country Club Plaza shopping district. It was originally called the “Boy and a Fish” and was located on the small, triangular traffic island at 47th Street and Mill Creek Parkway. It was removed for the installation of the Seville Light Fountain and relocated to its current home in 1968. The sculptures of the boy and fish which originally adorned the top of the fountain are no longer present, however, the ornate basins and pedestal remain intact. Through a partnership between the Marlborough Community Coalition and Kansas City Parks, conservation of the fountain and renovation of the site were completed in 2012, along with the renaming of the fountain to honor the surrounding community.

Marlborough is a diverse neighborhood in south Kansas City that is bound by 79th to 85th Streets and Troost Avenue to Prospect Avenue, though it has never had a legal boundary. The Marlborough Community Coalition serves as a neighborhood association for the Marlborough neighborhood and surrounding area, extending north to Gregory Boulevard and east to Highway 71. The Coalition was first organized in 2007 by the then-Deputy Director of Kansas City, Missouri Health Department Clyde Bolton when he proposed an affordable health clinic for nearby, underserved residents. His idea resulted in the Swope Health Care Clinic at 91st and Troost. With success, members then began discussing how they could support other problems affecting the surrounding neighborhoods like blight, equity, and affordable housing. In 2008, the Marlborough Community Coalition became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and continues to advocate for a healthy and sustainable community and is working to restore the vibrancy this area once had.

The location of the fountain also pays homage to The Paseo, which was one of the first major thoroughfares constructed during the ‘City Beautiful Movement’ at the turn of the twentieth century, featuring landscaped green space and art in public areas.

Marlborough Plaza Fountain, City of Fountains. Accessed July 6th 2022. https://cityoffountains.org/marlborough-plaza-fountain/.

About, We Are Marlborough. Accessed July 6th 2022. https://wearemarlborough.org/history/.