The Chicago Water Tower is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

and

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

in the

Old Chicago Water Tower District The Old Chicago Water Tower District is a historic district along the Magnificent Mile shopping district in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. The district is located on both sides of North Michigan Avenue between Eas ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, that is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Built to enclose the tall machinery of a powerful water pump in 1869, it became particularly well known when it survived the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

of 1871, although the area around it was burnt to the ground.

Description

The tower is located at 806 North Michigan Avenue along the

Magnificent Mile The Magnificent Mile, sometimes referred to as The Mag Mile, is an upscale section of Chicago's Michigan Avenue, running from the Chicago River to Oak Street in the Near North Side. The district is located within downtown, and one block ...

shopping district in the Near North Side community area of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in a small park, the Jane M. Byrne Plaza. The tower was constructed to house a large water pump, intended to draw water from

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

. Built in 1869, it is the second-oldest water tower in the United States, after the

Louisville Water Tower The Louisville Water Tower, located east of downtown Louisville, Kentucky near the riverfront, is the oldest ornamental water tower in the world, having been built before the more famous Chicago Water Tower. Both the actual water tower and its pu ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. The Chicago Water Tower now serves as a Chicago Office of Tourism as a small art gallery known as the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower. It features the work of local photographers and artists, and filmmakers.

History

Chicago Water Tower & Pumping Station, published 1886

Chicago Water Tower as seen from the John Hancock tower Signature room

The tower, built in 1869 by architect

William W. Boyington William Warren Boyington (July 22, 1818 – October 16, 1898) was an architect who designed several notable structures in and around Chicago, Illinois. He was also mayor of Highland Park, Illinois. History Originally from Massachusetts, W.W. Bo ...

from yellowing Lemont

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, is 182.5 feet (55 m) tall. Inside was a 138-foot (42 m) high standpipe to hold water. In addition to being used for

firefighting Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter. Firefighters typically ...

, the pressure in the pipe could be regulated to control water surges in the area. Together with the adjacent

Chicago Avenue Pumping Station The Chicago Avenue Pumping Station is a historic district contributing property in the Old Chicago Water Tower District landmark district. It is located on Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile shopping district in the Near North Side ...

, it drew clean water from water cribs in Lake Michigan. The tower gained prominence after the

of 1871. The tower was the only public building in the burned zone to survive, and is one of just a few of the surviving structures still standing. A few other buildings in the burned district did survive along with the tower. Ironically, the pumping station stopped working during the fire. The roof, not made of limestone, caught fire and the pumps stopped working, stopped supplying water to fight the fire. “Many Chicagoans know that the Water Tower survived the fire. During the blaze, the roof caught fire and collapsed into the pumps, destroying them, along with any hope that there would be enough water to stop the spread of the fire. But the structure itself survived.” In the years since the fire, the tower has become a symbol of old Chicago and of the city's recovery from the fire. In 1918, when

Pine Street Pine Street is a major east–west street in Seattle, Washington, United States. It travels parallel to Pike Street between Downtown Seattle and the retail core to Capitol Hill, the Central District, and Madrona. Street description Pine S ...

was widened, the plans were altered in order to give the Water Tower a featured location in the city. The tower has undergone two renovations. The first took place during a three-year period, 1913–1916. At that time many of the limestone blocks were replaced. The second renovation occurred in 1978. This renovation consisted mostly of interior changes with only minor changes made to the exterior of the building. In 2014, the small park the tower is sited in was named for former Chicago mayor

Jane Byrne Jane Margaret Byrne (née Burke; May 24, 1933November 14, 2014) was an American politician who was the first woman to be elected mayor of a major city in the United States. She served as the 50th Mayor of Chicago from April 16, 1979, until April ...

. The structure has not been universally admired.

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

said it looked like "a castellated monstrosity with pepper boxes stuck all over it," although he did admire the arrangement and movement of the pumping machinery inside. The Water Tower's castle-like style inspired the design of some White Castle restaurant buildings. The Tower was named an

American Water Landmark An American Water Landmark is a landmark within the United States, Canada, or Mexico that is a historic location and is associated in some way with water. The American Water Works Association has designated American Water Landmarks since 1969. T ...

in 1969. In 2004 and 2017, the tower was featured in the finales of ''

The Amazing Race 6 ''The Amazing Race 6'' is the sixth season of the American reality television series ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two racing around the world. The season premiered on CBS on November 16, 2004, and concluded on February 8, 20 ...

'' and ''

The Amazing Race 29 ''The Amazing Race 29'' is the twenty-ninth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. Unlike previous seasons, which almost exclusively featured teams with pre-existing relationships, this season featured 22 contestants ...

'' respectively. Waterworks, by Ely, Cook, 1847-

References

External links

City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower
��City of Chicago {{Chicago 1869 establishments in Illinois Art museums and galleries in Chicago Buildings and structures in Chicago Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago Historic district contributing properties in Illinois Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago Towers completed in 1869 Water towers in Illinois Water towers on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois

Description

History

See also

References

External links