The Chicago Water Tower was designed by William W. Boyington in 1869. The article names no client. The infobox says built in 1869, while the text says only that it was designed then and does not give a completion date. It names no style, describing octagonal buttresses, crenelated towers and a parapet wall, and Oscar Wilde called it a castellated monstrosity.
The tower is yellowing Lemont limestone, and a renovation from 1913 to 1916 replaced many blocks. It is 182.5 feet (56 m) tall, with an internal standpipe 138 feet (42 m) high.
It survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 while surrounding buildings burned, though its roof caught fire and the pumps stopped. It was renovated again in 1978. It was named an American Water Landmark in 1969, and its park became Jane M. Byrne Plaza in 2014. It hosts the City Gallery. The article gives no hours.
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