06/15/06

This landmark has come to symbolize Chicago's rise from the ashes of the Great Fire of 1871.

by Contributor

In Short
Built in Gothic Revival style, the Water Tower was built between 1867 and 1869 to house a 138-foot-high standpipe. The Chicago Fire of 1871 leveled nearly every building in the city except the Water Tower. The day after the fire, the Water Tower served as a guidepost by which citizens hunted through the ruins for what had once been their homes. In 1971, the two buildings were designated historic landmarks.