One of Chicago’s most underrated landmarks is the Centennial Fountain. Located in the heart of the city, this was first built in 1989 and had been operating ever since. That is, until 2020. And since then, it hasn’t been turned on ever since. Overall, you have to say that this is quite a shame, considering that it adds culture and character to the city and looks a bit lifeless without water flowing through it.

However, there is a reason why it hasn’t been turned back on. Sadly, it won’t be flowing water for several years to come either. So, why hasn’t the Centennial Fountain got its water back?

In short, the fountain was damaged back in 2020 due to heavy flooding. Since then it has been broken and the city council has been very slow in fixing it. Based on reports, it probably won’t get any attention for another two years. This means that at its earliest, the Centennial Fountain will be fixed in 2025.

Speaking on this, one Chicagoan said, “5 years sounds about right for the city to fix a fountain.” Sadly, there’s a lot of truth in this statement. Another resident also wrote: “That’s a shame. I always loved that fountain. When I was younger, I used to just go down there to hang out and calm myself after a hard day of work.”

To sum up, the fountain will be getting water back at some point. However, it won’t be anytime soon and is not a priority.