| Chicago is one of the largest and most populated | | | | constructed in what people call "castellated gothic |
| cities in the United States. It has many attractions | | | | style". The saw-toothed looking tower were |
| for visitors and tourists, to travel around and see. | | | | drawn up and designed by Boyington to captivate |
| One of the oldest and more popular of all the | | | | ones sense of a medieval castle. The octagonal |
| attractions in Chicago is the City Gallery in the | | | | form symbolizes Gothic elements, and the |
| Historic Water Tower. The Chicago Office of | | | | slenderness of the tower is supposed to |
| Tourism is staffed to take care of and protect | | | | symbolize a "minaret quality". The total foundation |
| the gallery. Chicago Public Art Program is curator | | | | of the tower has over 168 piles that are filled up |
| of the gallery.The Historic Water Tower is | | | | with concrete and capped off by one foot oak |
| Chicago's most beloved landmark and it has been | | | | timbers. Enormous stones that are edged in |
| for over 100 years. It was first designed and built | | | | cement make up the base below the grade. All of |
| by an architect by the name of William W. | | | | the 40-foot sides have doorways and two large |
| Boyington. Today, it stands as a memorial to the | | | | grand windows. The second and third sections |
| lives that were lost in the Tragic Chicago Fire. A | | | | look similar to all the other sides except they rise |
| little bit of history on the Historic Water Tower | | | | in height but their size decreases. The octagonal |
| would date back to 1869 when it was first built to | | | | tower is centered and set a little ways back from |
| be the home of a 138-foot-tall piece of standpipe. | | | | the top of the third section. From top to bottom |
| This enormous pipe was also three feet in | | | | it rises over 154 feet from ground level.The huge |
| diameter. The purpose of the pipe was to | | | | sandpipe was eventually removed in 1911, after it |
| maintain and equalize pressure and to knock down | | | | became apparent that there was no longer any |
| the amount of water that was flowing through all | | | | use for it. The enormous eye-catching spiral |
| of the main water pipes in Chicago. The tower | | | | staircase that went all the way around the |
| was built out of "Joliet" limestone, that was made | | | | sandpipe was left alone. The spiral staircase is still |
| into blocks, from a rock quarry in Illinois. This was | | | | there, intact, today. The use of the staircase |
| probably the best idea someone had back then, | | | | these days is to reach the new tower that was |
| because history tells of a great fire that broke | | | | built called the "Cupola Tower".Today the official |
| out in Chicago in 1871 and leveled almost all of the | | | | use of the tower is as the city's photography |
| buildings except for this tower. The day after the | | | | gallery and the pumping station built below it |
| fire, people used this Water Tower as a guide to | | | | serves as the Chicago's main water works supply. |
| look through all the ash and ruins for items that | | | | A Visitors' welcome center is also built near it so |
| had belonged to them.The tower then became a | | | | people may read up on how the tower was first |
| city monument because of the city's water | | | | built, and the purposes that it served throughout |
| works engineers' spirit and drive to help the | | | | the years. In 2003 the Chicago Pumping Station |
| people who had lost nearly everything they had | | | | became the home of the Lookingglass Theater. |
| owned.The enormous tower is actually | | | | |