Chicago Water Tower
The Chicago Water Tower is a Chicago and U.S. historical place tower that is 154 feet (47 m) tall. The tower is believed to be the only tower to survive the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. It is the only public tower to be in the fire zone to survive.[1][2][3] The building is the symbol of Old Chicago. The tower was built in 1869. The building became a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
The tower is located at 806 Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile shopping district in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois in a small park, the Jane M. Byrne Plaza.
The tower was built to keep a large water pump, to draw water from Lake Michigan. It was built in 1869. It is the second-oldest water tower in the United States, after the Louisville Water Tower in Louisville, Kentucky.
The design of the tower has not been liked by everone. Oscar Wilde 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.[4][5] The Water Tower's castle-like style inspired the design of some White Castle restaurant buildings.[6][7]
Today, the Chicago Water Tower is the Chicago Office of Tourism as a small art gallery known as the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower. It has the work of local photographers, artists and filmmakers.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Cf. The Couch Tomb. Bannos, Pamela (2012). "The Couch Tomb — Hidden truths: Visualizing the City Cemetery". The Chicago Cemetery & Lincoln Park. Northwestern University. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ↑ "The Chicago Water Tower". Chicago History Museum. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ↑ Siegel, Arthur (1969). Chicago's Famous Buildings. University of Chicago Press. p. 48.
Oscar Wilde on February 13, 1882.
- ↑ "Oscar Wilde and The Chicago Water Tower". Archived from the original on March 10, 2014.
- ↑ "Ask Geoffrey: White Castle Inspired by Chicago Water Tower?". Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ↑ Gardner, Denis P. (2004). Minnesota Treasures: Stories Behind the State's Historic Places. St. Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-87351-471-2.
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