Address: Michigan and Chicago Avenues Year Built: 1869, Water Tower/pumping station; 1904, Fire Station No. 98 Architects: W. W. Boyington, Water Tower/pumping station; C. F. Hermann, firehouse Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: October 6, 1971; amended June 10, 1981

The old Water Tower and Chicago Avenue Pumping Station are the only public buildings to survive in the area destroyed by the Fire of 1871. Both structures were designed in a castellated-Gothic Revival style. The tower represents a fanciful interpretation of a medieval fortress or, in a quote attributed to the famed critic Oscar Wilde, a "monstrosity with pepper boxes stuck all over it." Nonetheless, both buildings have come to symbolize Chicago's fierce drive to continue, as well as rare monuments to the 19th century. The Water Tower was originally built to house a 138-foot standpipe, which became obsolete and was removed in 1911. The district also includes a turn-of-the-century fire station and two small parks.

W.W. Boyington
Pre-Fire Chicago Boul Mich Districts
1.	Water Tower and Pumping Station, photo by Richard Nickel
2.	Pumping Station doorway, photo by Bob Thall
3.	Pumping Station interior, photo by Bob Thall
4.	Fire Station, photo by Bob Thall