 Before the fountain was completed in 2004 , Art Institute of Chicago president James Wood felt the columns would be too tall and other community leaders felt that the height and scale of the project stemmed from a " pissing contest " with other park feature artists . Grant Park has been protected since 1836 by " forever open , clear and free " legislation that has been affirmed by four previous Illinois Supreme Court rulings . Aaron Montgomery Ward twice sued the city of Chicago in the 1890s to force it to remove buildings and structures from Grant Park , and to keep it from building new ones . As a result , the city has what are termed the Montgomery Ward height restrictions on buildings and structures in Grant Park . However , Crown Fountain and Jay Pritzker Pavilion , which stands 139 feet ( 42 m ) tall , were exempt from the height restriction because they were classified as works of art and not buildings or structures . 
 Before the fountain was completed in 2004 , Art Institute of Chicago president James Wood felt the columns would be too tall and other community leaders felt that the height and scale of the project stemmed from a " pissing contest " with other park feature artists . Grant Park <a href='been_done' title='1'><mark>has</mark></a> been protected since 1836 by " forever open , clear and free " legislation <a href='null_relcl' title='2'><mark>that</mark></a><a href='been_done' title='3'><mark>has</mark></a> been affirmed by four previous Illinois Supreme Court rulings . Aaron Montgomery Ward twice sued the city of Chicago in the 1890s to force it to remove buildings and structures from Grant Park , and to keep it from building new ones . As a result , the city <a href='uninflect' title='4'><mark>has</mark></a> what are termed the Montgomery Ward height restrictions on buildings and structures in Grant Park . However , Crown Fountain and Jay Pritzker Pavilion , which <a href='uninflect' title='5'><mark>stands</mark></a> 139 feet ( 42 m ) tall , <a href='uninflect' title='6'><mark>were</mark></a> exempt from the height restriction because they <a href='uninflect' title='7'><mark>were</mark></a> classified as works of art and not buildings or structures . 
Before the fountain was completed in 2004 , Art Institute of Chicago president James Wood felt da columns would b too tall and other community leaders felt dat the height and scale of tdaproject stemmed from a " pissin contest " witt other park feature artists . Grant Park done been protected since 1836 by " forever open , clear and free " legislation done been affirmed by 4 previous Illinois Supreme Court rulings . Aaron Montgomery Ward twice sued thdaity of Chicago in the 1890s to force it to remove buildings and structures from Grant Park , and to keep it from building new ones . As a result , the city have what r termed the Montgomery Ward height restrictions on buildings and structures in Grant Park . However , Crown Fountain and Jay Pritzker Pavilion , which stand 139 feet ( 42 m ) tall , was exempt from the height restriction cuz they was classified as works of art and not buildings or structures .