Why is it called the Water Tower Chicago?
Description. The tower is located at 806 North Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile shopping district in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois in a small park, the Jane M. Byrne Plaza. The tower was constructed to house a large water pump, intended to draw water from Lake Michigan.
Is the Chicago Water Tower still in use?
Today the Water Tower is home to the Chicago Office of Tourism’s art gallery.
When was Water Tower Place in Chicago built?
1976Water Tower Place / Opened
Who built Water Tower Place?
Originally planned in the late 1960s by the Mafco Company (the former shopping center development division of Marshall Field & Co.), the skyscraper was eventually built in 1975 by Urban Retail Properties, a company led by Philip Morris Klutznick and his son Thomas J. Klutznick.
Why was the Chicago Water Tower built?
It was built to hide a 138 foot stand pipe that equalied pressure from across the street at the pumping station. The Historic Water is one of the only buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It came to symbolize Chicago’s “I Will” spirit as Chicagoans began to rebuild the city.
Who Owns the Water Tower Place?
Ownership will be transferred to lender MetLife Investment Management, a unit of MetLife Inc. “Water Tower Place is a high-quality real estate asset that is well-positioned in the Chicago market,” said MetLife Investment Management spokesperson Dave Franecki in a statement.
Why are water towers so tall?
The primary function of water towers is to pressurize water for distribution. Elevating the water high above the pipes that distribute it throughout the surrounding building or community ensures that hydrostatic pressure, driven by gravity, forces the water down and through the system.
How many water towers are in Chicago?
As late as the mid twentieth century, there were approximately 5,000 water towers in the city. Today, the differing estimates of how many water towers remain in Chicago puts the number somewhere between 130 and 170.