Tag: illinois

The Amazing Water Tower

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One of my favorite television programs is The Amazing Race.

Obviously!

Anyone who knows me knows that my passion is seeing and photographing the world and this show epitomizes travel and highlights some of the most iconic landmarks in the world. Some of my best travel ideas have come from watching the show and of course, I would love to one day compete!

On seasons 6 (2004) and 29 (2107), the Chicago Water Tower was featured in the finales of the Amazing Race. It seemed quite familiar to me as I walked by its location in Jane M. Byrne Plaza (named after the former Chicago mayor), on the way to my hotel, but it took a little research to realize why it had sparked my curiosity.

The Chicago Water Tower, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1869 by architect William W. Boyington. It doesn’t appear to be the usual type of tower seen in most cities; designed to blend in with the nearby architecture and enclose the tall machinery of a powerful water pump which was intended to draw water from Lake Michigan.

When much of the city burned during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the water tower miraculously survived along with a few other structures in the area. In the years since the fire, the tower has become a symbol of old Chicago and the city’s recovery.

The second oldest water tower in the United States now operates as a Chicago Office of Tourism and as a small art gallery known as the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower. While not acting as the finish line for television races or the inspiration for fast food restaurants (think White Castle), the gallery features the work of local photographers, artists and filmmakers and draws tourists to the Windy City for a look at a piece of the city’s historical architecture.

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The Chicago Water Tower