The Chicago Water Tower, designed in 1867 by architect William W. Boyington, was erected in 1869 to house a 138-foot-high standpipe three feet in diameter that equalized pressure and controlled water flowing through mains throughout the city. Built solidly of Joliet limestone blocks, it survived the Great Chicago Fire after flames engulfed Chicago on the morning of October 9, 1871 and leveled nearly every building except the tower. The following day, citizens used it as a guidepost while searching the ruins for what had once been their homes. It became a monument to the efforts of Chicago’s water works engineers and has remained a symbol of Chicago’s indomitable “I will” spirit. In 1969, its centennial year, it was nationally recognized as the First American Water Landmark, and in 1972 the Chicago Landmarks Commission designated the Chicago Water Tower and the Chicago Avenue Pumping Station as city landmarks. Today it serves as a Visitor Information Center, and it stands on North Michigan Avenue as a memorial to the victims of the Great Chicago Fire. Along Michigan Avenue, the modern era of “The Avenue” grew from public works and redevelopment efforts including the completion of the Lake Shore Drive bridge in 1937, the State Street Subway in 1943, and the 1947 “The Magnificent Mile” campaign, a joint effort by the city, local businesses, and community organizations to construct new buildings, renovate old ones, and add parks and landscaping. Like the Burnham Plan before it, that campaign promoted signature structures along the boulevard, helping bring about such landmarks as the Prudential Building, John Hancock Building, and Water Tower Place, and by the end of the 1970’s Michigan Avenue had become and has remained Chicago’s dominant retail street.
