The water tower itself is located across the street, kitty-corner from the shopping center in a beautiful, small (about 1/3 of a block), partially tree shaded rest area.
The pumping station however, is out in the open on the east side of Michigan Avenue, just south of the shopping center.
The water tower's park is a place where pedestrians can come to relax for a few moments, away from Michigan Avenue's hustle and bustle. Here, the water tower building and its trees work together to block out and muffle much of this busy street's noise. So it's a very pleasant place to relax and snack or to just sit down and cogitate in peace for a while.
Here people can also catch a horse drawn carriage for a leisurely tour of the surrounding up-scale north side area if they have the time and the inclination.
These 2 sand stone buildings were built in 1869. But after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, they were the only public buildings that remained standing in this area. Only a few other, privately owned buildings survived with it but they have since been torn down. So these 2 buildings are now being preserved by the City of Chicago as historic monuments and used as tourist attractions.
Below is a Wikimapia map starting from the top at the water tower and the pumping station and proceeding south for 2 blocks. It shows some more of the Miracle Mile's buildings that are just south of this unique Chicago landmark.
This blog is a work in progress so be sure to return once in a while. We will be posting more 3D photos here soon....
