Description: More Chicago pics and postcards. TFL!
The Water Tower was completed at Michigan and Chicago avenues in 1869 to house a 138-foot-high standpipe, 3 feet in diameter. It was designed by architect William W. Boyington.. The Chicago Fire of 1871 leveled nearly every building in the city except the Water Tower. In 1971, the Water Tower and the Chicago Avenue Pumping Station (across Michigan Avenue) were designated historic landmarks.
(Got the info off the internet)