On a recent trip to Chicago, we were totally impressed with this water tower that looks like a castle.
I'm not often nostalgic for the old times (I really like the internet, cell phones, and GPS), but old architecture, both inside and out, will get me every time. Buildings were just made with such thought and exquisite detail. Seriously, check out this guy at night:
It might not be the tallest or biggest, but it definitely is a star in Magnificent Mile. It was built in 1869 to provide clean water pumped from Lake Michigan to the city. At that time, it towered above all the other buildings in the area. Unfortunately, the bins from which it pumped eventually became polluted, and the tower was functionally obsolete in 1906. Yet more than 100 years later, after surviving the Great Fire and multiple demolition attempts, it still stands. In 1969, the American Water Works Association named it as one of their first American Water Landmarks. It is now home to a local photography gallery and is a Chicago historical treasure. Definitely worth checking out next time you're downtown.
Source: http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/watertower.htm
Source: http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/watertower.htm
