Constructed in 1869 and designed by architect William Boyington, the Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station are best known for being among the lucky few structures in this area to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The Gothic Revival castle-like structure, with its 154-foot tower and yellow Joliet limestone, is a great symbol of Chicago.

The pumping station (on the east side of Michigan Avenue) and tower (west side of Michigan Avenue) were built to solve Chicago's inadequate water supply problem. Due to the runoff from the Chicago River, Lake Michigan's water near shore was too polluted to use. Chief Engineer Ellis S. Chesbrough developed an innovative solution to solve the problem -- he designed a water supply tunnel system that extended two miles offshore to a water intake crib. Water began flowing to the pumping station upon completion of the tunnel in 1867. However, due to pressure surges, a standpipe system was required -- hence the building of the water tower. The water tower was completed in 1869. The original standpipe was removed from the structure in 1911.

Today, the pumping station contains the Lookingglass Theater Company, winner of a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater.

At the curb just outside the pumping station (at 163 E. Pearson) you can catch a Chicago Crime Tours crime and mob tour. This tour has stops on and off their climate-controlled bus. During the tour you'll explore world famous crime scenes -- like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre - and enjoy true-crime stories, historic video footage, and memorable photo opportunities.


The small park on the west side of Michigan Avenue, called Jane Byrne Park after Chicago's first female mayor, wraps around Chicago's iconic Water Tower. Today, the interior of the tower is periodically used as an art gallery for rotating exhibits. If open, feel free to step inside. The park itself is a popular spot to take a break and people watch.



SIDE TRIP!
Head west on Chicago Avenue to State Street, then south on State Street one-half block to beautiful Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago's only Roman Catholic Cathedral. The Cathedral's ornate ceiling, which was meticulously restored to its original state after a 2009 roof fire, makes this a side trip worth taking!