Water Tower Chicago

Chicago Water Tower ~ The Grandeur of Chicago. by Chicagos~Finest , on Flickr

The Tower is situated at 800 N. Michigan Avenue, on the north end of The Magnificent Mile. It was built in 1869 by architect William W. Boyinton using yellow limestone blocks and is 154 feet tall. Its Gothic style with little towers makes it look more like a European 13th century castle than an actual water tower. The tower became functionally obsolete many years ago, although the pumping station still pumps water for the city. It was one of the few buildings to survive the the Great Fire of 1871, and since then it has become one of Chicago's greatest attractions.