Meeting of the Waters Fountain, Saint Louis

The Meeting of the Waters Fountain is a monumental bronze fountain created by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles and dedicated in 1940. Funded through a combination of city bond funds and a private gift from Edith Aloe in memory of her husband, Louis P. Aloe, the fountain serves as the centerpiece of Aloe Plaza. Originally conceived under the title The Wedding of the Rivers, it was renamed before its dedication due to public controversy regarding the figures' nudity.

The sculpture symbolizes the meeting of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers through an imaginative interpretation rooted in mythology rather than geography. The fountain features 19 bronze figures arranged around a large central basin. At its center stand two monumental figures representing the Mississippi River as a male deity and the Missouri River as a female figure. Surrounding them are 17 smaller figures portraying major tributaries as a playful wedding procession of water spirits, mermaids, and fish. Water jets, carefully balanced compositions, and expressive poses give the sculpture a sense of movement, while Milles combined classical mythology with modern Scandinavian artistic influences. The fountain was cast in bronze at Milles' studio in Michigan before being installed in St. Louis, and extensive restoration completed in the 2010s conserved the sculptures while modernizing the fountain's mechanical systems.

Today, the fountain remains one of the city's most recognizable works of public art. Visitors can admire its intricate bronze details from multiple viewpoints while enjoying the surrounding landscaped plaza across from historic Union Station. As both a memorial and a celebration of the region's two great rivers, The Meeting of the Waters continues to reflect the area's history, artistic heritage, and connection to the waterways that shaped its development.