Overview
- The Chicago Park District placed 100 green metal Fermob chairs around Buckingham Fountain in a pilot that debuted Saturday to give visitors permanent seating and encourage people to linger.
- The chairs cost $54,438 in total, with the city paying $24,438 and Lollapalooza covering the remaining $30,000, according to Park District officials.
- Fifty chairs have upright backs and fifty are slightly reclined, and the design was modeled on the classic seating used in Paris’ Luxembourg Garden and manufactured by Fermob in France.
- Park officials said the chairs will be available during the day, secured each evening after the fountain’s last 11 p.m. display, and removed for major Grant Park events such as the upcoming Lollapalooza festival.
- The pilot is a visible early action in the broader 'Front Yard Reimagined 2026' plan, and reactions have ranged from praise for added comfort and placemaking to criticism about cost and risks of theft, vandalism or misuse.