Water
Tower was built in 1869 and is Located in the
northern portion of the Magnificent Mile at
Chicago Avenue, the Chicago and is one of few
buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire
of 1871, due to its construction of limestone
blocks. The tower, which resembles a small castle,
is functionally obsolete and serves as a visitor
information center, where the public can obtain
literature about Chicago attractions.
The Water Tower is also
called as Home to City Gallery, Chicago's official
photography gallery. The pumping station still pumps
water for the city. The Chicago Water Tower was designated
the first American Water Landmark in 1969 and was
designated a Chicago Landmark in 1971.
The foundation of the
Tower consists of 168 piles filled with concrete and
capped with 12-inch oak timbers. Massive stones laid
in cement complete the base up to six feet below the
grade. The Tower was erected to house a 138-foot-tall
standpipe, three feet in diameter. This standpipe
served to equalize pressure and to minimize the pulsations
of the water flowing in the mains. The tower has five
sections from the square ground-level base with battlement
pillars at each of its four corners. Each of the 40-foot-wide
sides has a stately doorway and two grand windows.
The 2nd & 3rd sections are similar in design as
they rise in diminishing size. In the center the Octagonal
tower is found and set back from the top of the third
section. It rises 154 feet above the ground level.
The standpipe was removed in 1911 when it was no longer
needed. The spiral staircase which encircled the standpipe,
however, is still intact and is used to reach the
tower cupola.
During May of 1969
of its Centennial Anniversary, the Chicago Water
Tower was selected by the American Water Works Association
to be the first American Water Landmark in the nation.
The tower was completed in 1869 and survived the
Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The architect was William
W. Boyington and the tower is constructed of Joliet
limestone blocks quarried in Illinois.
