The Chicago Water Tower - by John F Hogan (Paperback)

About the Book

"Contaminated drinking water killed thousands of Chicago's original citizens, so the city took the unprecedented step of digging a tunnel two miles long and 30 feet below lake bottom. Since the facilities on shore included an unsightly 138-foot vertical pipe, famed architect William Boyington concealed it with a limestone, castle-like tower that soon became a celebrated landmark. Through the first 150 years of its existence, Chicago's iconic Water Tower has survived the Great Fire--the only public structure in the burn zone to do so--and at least four attempts at demolition. John Hogan pays tribute to the beloved monument that accompanied the evolution of Michigan Avenue from cowpath to Magnificent Mile."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Contaminated drinking water killed thousands of Chicago's original citizens, so the city took the unprecedented step of digging a tunnel two miles long and 30 feet below lake bottom. Since the facilities on shore included an unsightly 138-foot vertical pi

Review Quotes

"[John Hogan's] telling of the Water Tower's history reads like the script of a documentary made for Chicago Public Television. By skillfully mixing historical facts with local lore, he takes the reader back to shortly after the Civil War when Chicago was the new frontier, when it was drawing people in who were looking toward a new future and a new fortune." NewCity Lit