Old Chicago Water Tower

Urban dwellers,
Who among you does not love it when some architectural anachronism pops up amidst a block of slick post-modern buildings?


This is the Old Chicago Water Tower, a limestone edifice located right near the heart of the Magnificent Mile. It looks a lot like a medieval cathedral, but it is in fact not a place of worship, nor is it quite that old. Still, seeing it in reality is disorienting, like someone stuck an odd piece in the wrong puzzle. I mean, there's a Macy's right across the street.

According to my research, the Tower is one of the last remnants of pre-2oth Century Chicago. Unlike most other nearby structures, it managed to survive the Great
Fire of 1871. It is not, however, still operational. Chicagoans dumped the old H2O matron when electric water pumps were introduced. Now, it serves as an informational tourist attraction.

Oscar Wilde, who is the patron saint of dandy aesthetics, called the tower "a monstrosity."


Clearly, Wilde was unfamiliar with Chicago's parking deck.