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Chicago Water Tower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chicago Avenue Water Tower and Pumping Station | |
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| (U.S. National Register of Historic Places) | |
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| Location: | 806 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois |
| Built/Founded: | 1869 |
| Added to NRHP: | April 23, 1975 |
| Reference #: | 75000644 [1] |
| Governing body: | Local |
The Chicago Water Tower is a landmark located at 806 North Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile shopping district of the city. Located adjacent to Loyola University Chicago's downtown campus, the Chicago Water Tower is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau Visitor's Welcome Center.
The tower, built in 1869 by architect William W. Boyington from yellowing Joliet limestone, is 154 feet tall. Inside was a 138 foot high standpipe to hold water. In addition to being used for firefighting, the pressure in the pipe could be regulated to control water surges in the area.[2]
The tower gained notoriety after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. While some incorrectly believe that the tower was the only building to survive the fire, a few other buildings in the burned district survived along with the tower.[3] But the water tower was the only public building in the burned zone to survive, and is the only one of the surviving structures still standing. In the years since the fire, the tower has become a symbol of old Chicago and of the city's rebirth from the fire's ashes.
Oscar Wilde stated the Water Tower looked like "a castellated monstrosity with pepper boxes stuck all over it."[4]
In 1918, when Pine Street was widened, the plans were altered in order to give the Water Tower a featured location.[2]
It was named an American Water Landmark in 1969.
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
- ^ a b Gerald Wolfe. Chicago In and Around the Loop. McGraw-Hill, 1996. pp.233-236
- ^ A.T. Andreas (1885), History of Chicago, Vol. 2, pp. 752 (picture of E.B. McCagg's Greenhouse), 759 (discussing survival of the Lind Block and 2 houses), Chicago: A.T. Andreas Co.
- ^ Oscar Wilde. February 13, 1882
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