The Old Chicago Water Tower District is a historic district along the

Magnificent Mile The Magnificent Mile (sometimes locally abbreviated to the Mag Mile) is the approximately one-mile-long stretch of Michigan Avenue (Chicago), Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River to Oak Street (Chicago), Oak Street on the Near North Side ...

shopping district in the Near North Side community area of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The district, located on both sides of North Michigan Avenue between East Chicago and East Pearson Streets, includes the

Chicago Water Tower The Chicago Water Tower is a contributing property and landmark in the Old Chicago Water Tower District in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built to enclose the tall machinery of a po ...

Chicago Avenue Pumping Station The Chicago Avenue Pumping Station is a historic district contributing property in the Old Chicago Water Tower District landmark district. It is located on Michigan Avenue (Chicago), Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile shopping district ...

and the fire house for Engine 98 of the

Chicago Fire Department The Chicago Fire Department (CFD) provides firefighting services along with emergency medical response services, hazardous materials mitigation services, and technical rescue response services in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, un ...

. The

Chicago Landmark Chicago Landmark is a designation by the Mayor and the City Council of Chicago for historic sites in Chicago, Illinois. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artist ...

district was first designated on October 6, 1971, and was amended on June 10, 1981 to include Engine 98. The Water Tower and Pumping Station were jointly added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on April 23, 1975. In addition the Tower was named an

American Water Landmark An American Water Landmark is a landmark within the United States, Canada, or Mexico that is a historic location and is associated in some way with water. The American Water Works Association American Water Works Association (AWWA) is an interna ...

in 1969. The Water Tower was also one of the few buildings to survive the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

, and is the namesake of the nearby

Water Tower Place Water Tower Place is a large urban, mixed-use development comprising a shopping mall in a 74-story skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The mall is located at 835 North Michigan Avenue, along the Magnificent Mile. It is named aft ...

. The district was once called Tower Town or Towertown and was known for its

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

artists and

nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...

in the early 20th century. In the 1910s, artists moved into an area near Pine St (now North Michigan Avenue) that was being deserted by affluent residents. Tower Town was the resultant artistic district, and it was successful in part because of its proximity to affluent patrons who remained on the Gold Coast. A new bridge connecting the area to the

Chicago Loop The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized Community areas in Chicago, community areas. Located at the center of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest busi ...

helped transform Tower Town into an expensive commercial district. Bars and

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s in the area included Chez Pierre, the

Dil Pickle Club The Dill Pickle Club (often spelled "Dil Pickle") was once a popular Bohemianism, Bohemian Club (organization), club and countercultural hub located in Chicago, Illinois. Operating primarily between 1917 and 1934, it served as a speakeasy, cabare ...

, Kelly's Stables, the Little Club, the Paradise Club and the Tent.

Gallery

Notes

External links

Official City of Chicago Near North Side Community Map
Historic districts in Chicago Central Chicago Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago Chicago Landmarks Towers in Illinois Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois {{Chicago-geo-stub

Gallery

See also

Notes

External links