Fountain Square attracts over 2 million people annually to its special events, free concerts, tailgates, and lunchtime contests. It’s a place to meet friends for morning coffee, or gather for lunch. It’s a place to bring your children, learn about Cincinnati history, and splash through the water feature. It’s a place to begin, or end, your evening downtown.
When you visit Fountain Square, you’ll find many reasons to return all the year round.
Fountain Square has been the symbolic center of Cincinnati since 1871. The square, which replaced a butcher's market, was a gift from Henry Probasco in memory of Tyler Davidson. Probasco traveled to Munich and commissioned a bronze allegorical fountain from Ferdinand von Miller named The Genius of Water that symbolizes the uses of water, both natural and man-made. Originally, the square occupied a large island in the middle of Fifth Street with buildings to the north and south, much like nearby Piatt Park. A 1971 renovation of the square included slightly moving and re-orienting the fountain to the west, and enlarging the plaza by removing the original westbound portion of 5th Street and demolishing buildings to the north. It is used for lunch-breaks, rallies, and other gatherings.
Fountain Square has also been featured in movies, including the 2011 film Ides of March.