Free previewStop 3 of Chicago Christmas Walk: Magnificent Mile Lights to the Christkindlmarket
A Castle Built to Hide a Pipe
You're on North Michigan Avenue, and the little pale stone castle in front of you, in the small park named for former mayor Jane Byrne, is the Chicago Water Tower. Look up past the turrets to the slim central tower rising out of the middle. That tower exists to hide something.
When the Water Tower went up in 1869, Chicago was trying to give a fast-growing city clean water. Pumps drew water in from Lake Michigan, and inside this tower stood a tall iron standpipe, part of that pumping system, which helped keep the water pressure steady. Nobody wanted a bare iron pipe on the skyline, so the architect, William W. Boyington, wrapped it in stone and made it look like a medieval fort. In other words, the most famous castle in Chicago is a very elegant piece of plumbing.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 3 of Chicago Christmas Walk: Magnificent Mile Lights to the Christkindlmarket (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
