Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR {July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Illinois
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Cook INVENTORY -NOMINATION FORM
(Type all e ntries - complete applicable sections)
Old Chic Water Tower District AND/ OR HISTORIC: Chicago Avenue Water Tower and Pumping Station
The East and West sides of North Ave between East Chic and CITY OR TOWN : Street, Chicago
CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE OWNERSHIP STATUS (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC z ~ District 0 Public Public Acquisition: q Occupied Yes : 0 Restricted U Site 0 Structure 0 Private 0 In Process 0 Unoccupied rn 0 Unrestricted 0 Object 0 Both 0 Being Considered Y( Preservation work t in progress 0 No u
::> Pork 0 Transportation 0 Comments 0::: Private Residence q Other (Specify) t- Rei igi ous Pumping S t ati nomn.-----
z
w w
n 0 c z -i -<
CITY OR TOWN : Washington, D. C. 0 Good 0 Foir 0 Deteriorated 0 Ruins 0 Unexposed CONDITION (Ch eck One) (Chec k One) 0 Altered IX] Unaltered 0 Moved Q9 Original Site D ESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORI GINA L ( if know n) PH Y SICAL APPEARANCE Description-
Begun in 1866-67, the construction of the present Pumping Station and Water Tower was executed according to the design of William W. Boyington, known for the design of the old Stock Exchange and the first University of Chi The ~ umping ~ tation and Water Tower are built of rough faced Joliet lime stone blocks in a style known as 'castellated gothic'. The Pumping Station is two stories high with a low-pitched roof. · Turrets rise from every come of the structure. A tall limestone smokestack, which is a smaller and less elaborate version of the shaft of the tower, rises from the east side of the building. The e~terior of the Tower is devided into five sections which rise in diminishing size from the lowest which is 40 feet square. Turrets extend up from the four carriers of each of the three rectangular lower sections, the walls of which are surmounted by cut stone battlements. From this three part base rises an octagonal shaft with a turreted and battlemented top, which, in turn, is cappe·d by a cupola of steel with a m copper roof. The Pumping Station presently is connected b~ a series of tunnels under Lake Michigan to several cribs. Chesbroughtas"f~ponsible m for the crib t ·i(Jo miles out which pumps 2750 gallons of water per stroke from its well. Gther cribs include one which is four miles out, another z called the northeast crib, and the Carter H. Harrison crib. Being quite an engineering feat of its day, Gl-eslH?ou.gh 1 erib-ottgh o be i-nclude as- part o:f_th Histori .c Si t tr.
The exteriors of the buildings survived the Chicago Fire of 1871 with minor damage, while the interior of the Pumping Station was gutted, cutting off water supply to the city for eight days. · Damage was repaired quickly. In 1906, extensive repair again was necessary, this time in connection with the installation of new pumping equiptment, but the .facade was not altered. The Tower and Pumping Station retain their dominance over Michigan Avenue 0 (then Pine Street) hiding behind their decorative facades soph.isticated z water works machinery which still serves the area from Madison Street north to Fullerton Avenue and from Lake Michigan west to Ashland Avenue.
History-
The first city-wide water works was begun by a private company at the foot of Chicago Avenue in 1852, and the buildings were completed the next year. Water was pumped from a crib 600 feet offshore into three reservoirs one on each side of the city, and from them into an evergrowing system of pipes into the houses of people who payed f or the service. With the rapid growth of the city, the double prob·lem of water supply and waste disposal became more complex. Sewage was ejected into the river, and carried into the lake, resulting in a high incidence of typhoid. In 1855, the Chicago Board of Sewerage Commission was formed to seek out solutions to the problems of waste disposal and drainage which were hindering commercial development of the city, rain and water not being adequately removed from the business streets. Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough was selected to tackle the problem. Chesbrough, who was made City En gineer, had quit school at the age of nine because his father's business &V Nf>..l oNI\\.. (Continuation Sheet) DATE / / Descripti~ri (No. &) History cont.- ' -- __:,/ had failed. He worked in a counting house and thea qecame a chainman with a company surveying railway land in the Baltimore area. His engineering education was received at this time because some of his co-workers were army engineers. He was laid off due to the depression after the panic of 1837. In 1842 he went to stay with hi ~ father in Providence, Rhode Island, and frequented a railroad workshop where he learned the practica\ use of tools. He tried farming for awhnle but was not successful. He then re turned to his profession as chief engineer of a division of the Boston water works. He was .a quick learner and added hydraulic engineering to his skills. In 1851 he became Boston's chief engineer and remained there until he came to Chicago. As City Engineer, Chesbrough began to push for a water tunnel out under the lake to a point where it was certain the water would be pure. The original private water works company had been taken over in 1861 by the newly formed Board of Public Wo?ks. Chesbrough convinced the board to adopt his scheme for eliminating the water and sewage problems and ground was broken in 1864. The tunnel, 66 feet beneath the lake bed and extending two miles from shore, was completed in December of 1866, attracting world wide attention as an engineerin g feat. Construction of the present Pumpi!!l Station was proceeding slowly in order that the water supply would not be interrupted, and a new third pump, capable of pumping 18 million gallons of water a day was installed. At this time, pumping engines sent · water into the mains in a series of surges so that at one moment there wou~~ be no pressure and at the next, pressure so great that it could cause flooding or damage to the pipes. To equalize the pressure, a vertical pipe called a standpipe, Was inserted in the horizontal pipe leading from the pump, so that the excessive pressure would be relieved by the water's rising into the standpipe. It is this standpipe that the Water Tower was built to house. The pipe became defunct when new pumping equiptment was installed in 1906, and was removed in 1911. It was during this period un til 1914, when fire-damaged masonry and the original ir"on cupola were' replaced. A new staircase was also added. Presentation in Existing Surveys ( No. 6) cont.- Illinois Historic Structures Survey 1972 (state) 1800 South Prairie Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60610 Commission on Historical and Architectural Landmarks 1973 (local) 320 North Clark Street, Room 800, Chicago,- Illinois (designated a "Chicago Landmark" by the City Council, Oct. 6, 1971) 0 20th Century AREAS 0 F 51 GNI Fl CAN C E (Check One or More as Appropriate) Abar iginal 0 Political 0 Urban Planning 0 Pre hi staric 0 Religion/ Phi - 0 Other (Specify) 0 Historic losophy 0 Agriculture 0 Invention 0 Science ~ Architecture 0 Landscape 0 Sculpture 0 Art Architecture 0 Socia 1/ Human- 0 Commerce 0 Literature itarian 0 Communi coti ons 0 Military 0 Theater 0 Conservation 0 Music 0 Transportation TATEMENT OF siGNIFICANCE ' ,. The Water Tower and Pumping Station serve as an architectural link with Chicago's pr~~fr~e history in the central area of the city. They alone survived the fire and remain as examples of the sort of eclectic archi z tecture predominant in this fashionable area of the city in which Pine Street (now Michigan Ave.) was the main thoroughfare. Although not an 0 architectural to'ur de ferce, the buildings are typical of the 7iesthetic of the 19th century, that _a building should be both utilitarian and architecturally pleasing. The buildings are the land terminus for the two mile tunnel dug under Lake Michig·an, this in itself a most notable acco~lishment of 19th century engineering. This tunnel, which pro vided a solution to the city's water ~ork's problems, helped make Chicago's further development possible· 'and is important in this respect as a landmark to civic pride. The district was declared a National Lan mark by the American Society .of Civil Engineers. z UJ w \ . I I / r .. r "{r T : !. .. '1 - '- .1: . r I ,• Andreas., A. T. History of Chicago. Vol. 2. Chicago; The AT. Andreas Co ... publishers., 1885. p.69. illustrated on p. 742. references to W. W.Boy ington .. pp. 509,512,564,601,644. Chicago City Manual, 1913. pp. 34-6. In the Chicago Historical Society Library, Art1cle, ''Chicago Water Tower Restored" and drawing. "Summary of Information on the Old Chicago Water Tower District". Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks. JlDle 1971. Randall., Frank A. History of the Development of Building Construction in Chic Urbana; The University of Illino1s Press, 1949. p.53. rvt/R2~o Lj(p3?.530 (f) m m STATE : STATE : z STATE: -1 ;o c Senior Research Assistant and John Hem, n ORGANIZ ATI O N ATE -1 Commission on (.'hi cago Hi$ tori cal and Architectural Feb. 21, 1975 TREET AND NUMBER: 0 320 North Clark Street, Room 800 z As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na I here by certify that this property is included in the tional Historic P reservat ion Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion National Register. in the N ationa l Register and certify that it ha s been eva luated according to t h e criteria a nd p rocedures set forth by the National P a rk Service. The recommended Chief, Office of Archeology and His toric Preservation Date ---'-+Y/_?-__:_~~_:__~------N c Preservat tate of Illinoi T itle ------February 7, 1975 Date . Date GP 0 9 0 t .0 8 7 Form 10-300a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNT Y INVENTORY · NOMINATION FORM DATE (Continuation Sheet) (Numbe r all entries ) Geographical Data U.T.M. .ifD A 16-448,125-E 16-4,638,360-N ~0 B 16-448,315-E 16-4,638,360-N yt q.,o C 16-448,315-E 16-4,638,260-N ~ \) 0 D 16-448, 1 ~ 5-E 16-4,638,260-N ' GPO 92 1-72 4 WORKING NUMBER (/ /0 Jr2_ . ·1 ? j 1&3 TECH REVIEW , , PHOTOS~. ~~------! MAPS I HISTORIAN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN ~~ a"iR>'ft'r J'~~~ L- ~~ -'71:~-'A HAER : "'F This nomination does not have adequate information to qualify it under area of sig nificance :engineer ingt It does not me ntion the engineer, El lis s. Chesbr ough, who was the leading expert in this countr y at the time on urban sewer age & wa ter supnly systems . While he was engineer f or the Chicago Sewer age Commission betweem 1855- 79 , more .oo REVIEW UNIT CHIEF r\ lJL.l · ~Crtt'-2.fi 0 11l 10)23/ 13 BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER National Register Write-up Send-back _t..:.j.,J~, ..w/ r.z:::J._:..;..· J..L)o,..J'------Federal Register entry Re-submit ______ Entered I N T c 1 538 -73 Chicago became the 1st city to adopt a systematic sewerage system plan which included the novel feat of raising the entire KitJ level of the cit y so sewagB could flow into Lake Michigano His proposal to obtain safe water by tunneling 60 1 below the' lake level to intake cribs, 2 miles out, was the 1st major system of this type . The lo, 567 1 long tunnel was a pioneering project in subaqueous tunnelingo There is no mention of this system or haw it worked in this nomination, the emphasis being architectural •hich is certainly secondary in this instance . I would suggest that the authors write the ASCE , Public Information Services, United Engineering ~enter, 345 E. 47th St. , NYC 10017, asking for complete information on Chesbrough's Chicago Water Suonly System or t hey should check t he engineer ing per i odicals and the Trans actions of the ASCE. I am sup rised t he author s anoar ently i n't even 80nsider these s ources '"hen r esear ching thi s struct ure. A POOR FORH . OR AN OUTSTA mrrJG 111JJI.'UJ.1ENT OF NATIONAL SIGNifi)ANC • Property State OTHER HAER EJ/tl/t/~q S/6'PI~/C~ /J S7//l'#P Piv 4 ~~~q_ 1 Inventory ~W; "' -Jj' /tiJcE ~ -111£ ;tlc.)C1ei,P'~~ If/£ Leva. ~ S'/6"#/P/C/111/C£ Review ~Ji~ a/fott£1() tJ& 1//lf!t7711/IL> . 4- :; REVIEW UNIT CHIEF Accv-'--- ~\e 4·11·1~ BRANCH CHIEF ~~ National Register Write-up -.----- Send-back ____ Entered APR 2 3 1975 Re-submit ____ Federal Register Entry f.J:, . 3 -J:;, INT:2106-74 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service WASO No. 7 ------~ - - - · ·~ -- ..S~T~A~T~E------~ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Illinois COUNTY NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM (Type all entries - attach to or enclose with photograph) % 0 z w w View from Southwest PROP;:nTY OF TilE NAT~Ot!Al REGISTER ~} I + CHIC.A.G-0. I 1\ ' I '-- r I I I f' c ' I e.A.u (l ~II) I I ~/l..v/llf.i I 1 I ~ i 347oo Form 10-301 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE iNTERIOR (july 1968) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY MAP FORM (Type all entries -_attach to or enclose with map) 1. NAME COMMON Aei,DI,oR HISTORJC T ,T. NUMERIC CODE (A••I!lned by NPS) Old Chicago Water Tower Cn~cago &venue Water o.er ·- District and Pumping Station "PR 2:.3:i:' US7'5 2. LOCATION STATE COUNTY TOWN Illinois Cook Chicago STREET AND NUMBER East & West sides of North Michigan Ave. bet/East Chicago & East Pearson 3. MAP REFERENCE SOURCE DATE SCALE Chicago Loop Quad 1963 REQUIREMEN"(S: PROE.ER.I'l BOUNDARIES. WHERE REQUIF:IED. AND NORTH?.~ · J .. ,..: "<· ((.,r ~~ I · \'115 ~ { \ ~RtS \ \ ~-no~~~ p.t.G\S1,.. GPO 932.010 I ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE ILLINOIS Date Entered I>R 2 3 1975 Name Location L-Chicaao ~ ue water 'fOIM'l' and Cook Couaty · taa tattoo BAld CovecM ridp PdacetOQ Vicf.altY IU CO t7 Also Notified Hon. Charles H. Perc·,--~~.;-=.;;== BOD. Mlai 1. SteYaa • 111 Stata B18torlc Preaarvatton Offtce'l' Boa. ta'l'cU.aa CoUiM • 7 Dean on. B.o el't • M1 e1 Dtreeto'l', artment of Coaearvatioa 602 State Office U4in& Regional Director, Midwest Region 400 Sov.tb Spr1q St. Sp"l'ingf1a14, I1Uno1e 62706 I PR MMOTT: pl 4/25/75 > Advisory Counci I on Historic Preservation 1522 K Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005 JUl 1 8 1978 Mr. John E. Hansel Special Assistant for the Environment Economic Development Administration U.S. Department of Commerce Washington, D.C. 20230 Dear Mr. Hansel: On July 13, 1978, the Council received a determination from the Economic Development Administration that amendments to improvements to the Chicago ~ater Tower, Chicago, Illinois(EDA-IL-0177), would not adversely affeCt that property.which is included in the National Register of Historic Places. The Executive Director does not object to your determination. A copy of your determination of no adverse effect, along with supporting documentation and this concurrence, should be included in any assessment or statement prepared for this undertaking in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and should be kept in your records as evidence of your compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470f, as amended, 90 Stat. 1320). Your continued cooperation is appreciated. Sincerely, Myra F. Harrison Assistant Director Office of Review and Compliance The Council is an independent unit of the Executive Branch of the Federal Governmmt charged by the Act of October I 5, I 966 to advise tbe President and Congress in tbe field of Historic Preservation. 11-1q-76 HH'l'111l~' : nesbitt DOE 4/23/75 NAl\IE,,s rT Jll'Pr.i\!ts r:I·Fr:DElV\L }: [G1S'i::n: Chicago Avenue -Water Tower and Pumping Station (YJ1ILR t;i'F.LS: Old Chicago Water··Tower District LQCATIO.:\I: l)Jth sides of N. Michigan Ave. between E. Chicago and·E. Pearson Sts. $1R(El lo NVI.IOER CONGRl~~ tUNA l OISTRICl 'CllY.lOWN . \~CIIIIlY Oi seventh Chicago COUNTY code STAT~ Illinois Cook 031 .. 0\'\'!\:EH. OF PROPERTY: (Circlcl PRIVliTE . STil'l"E . LOC;IL G0V' T !·:U:HCIPAL CO~lTY OTHER FEDt:!'"\L {i\GE!~CY N 1\: '.E ) : . AD!HNISTRATOR(undcrline) NPS REGIO:-:: (CIRCLE) N .ATLl,t!TIC MID ATLl'u'lTIC SOUTHEAST ,llJ.DI-;EST SOUTHHEST ROCKY !-:OUNTTIIN HEST PhC!FIC t;ORTHi·iEST FEATURES: INTEF.!OR EXTERIOR ENVIF. 0~;s )£substantially intact-1 ~~~~~ially intact-2 _ s;;b"sta:ltiallv intact-3 . _ unkno\m - 4 u:;kr.O\·:n .-:i _ unknc>:n -6 - not appli.cc.blc - 7 =not ~pplicable - 8 _ t\ct arpU c~lE-9 ~Intcrio:-· , extc:rio::, cn·:i:-~ns not intact-0 .J)E1ERIORATE0 ':l(u}IAll(R£0 ~ RIG IIJAL SITE CONDITION- bl_ExCfllENT _GOO:> _RVINS _ALHIIiD _MOV£0 _ UnJ.-.r.cv:n _.FAIR _UNEXPO ~ED _r.econs tructcd _t•ne>:ca•:a te,1 _I:xcavatcd ACCESS- ¥es-:res~rictcd Yes-urxcslrictcd No acc~ss l'nk:10:-m ·historic d istl·ict? YES WITI!lN _1.:1\TIOli/\L R£GIST.El< HISTORIC DISTPJCT? YES NO lF YES, t :A:-~ : - \'IITHIH llATIO::!-.L HISTO?.IC L111lD!·'""'-Rl ADAPTIVE USE; YES NO Saved? YES uo - j } FUNCTION (S): (use vt-cabulary \Wrds) then- Water. utility/tower .. now- Water utility/tower SIGNIFICt\NCE: _.AI __ (Qf,~!I.UUtCA TIONS _J~lOU~TAY __,. ~llliCS.·C.~vt n~\1U,f _Oih[lliSPlCifYJ planninr, _lh'V.(HTION Claims "f' .,, Irs~,- YES t:o NO ~fon}y'J YES !10 • HCII ITECTU1L\ L STYLE! · Gothic Rev±val ele-ments · Wm. W.'BoJington eng i nccr: ~llis Sylvester Chesbrough Ia ndscapcfgardcn desig-ner: - _artist/ ~ - ' personal (~ a :,e l role & .· c~p ropriate date) events ~-.-. institutional . 'JATES: DATE OF CO!ISTF.UCTION (Specifi.c date or 1/4 of -century): 1 ~66~69 . " DATE($) OF "HAJOR" i\.LTERATIONS: 1906 - new pumping equipment HISTORICALLY SIG!'IIFICNlT DATE(S): 1(571 - Chicago fire - gutted inferiors 'JURCE: (CF :-:C?·!DIATIC:.il PRIVATE -STATE LOCAL GOV '"l' MUNICIPAL COUHTY OTHER FEDEFll.l. 'l.GE~:CY: / ' RE AQT?. --- • '-' ."1.. .l'J • (to nearest tenth of an acre) 2 acres . -· ~ (Dl ME~T S! (inc1Mde1 1\ar.i~ii\ti51h,informa tion here) . ~mpi~~ :bllechslil;: Rock-fac~d limeJ3t9ne, ~ - 5~ ~ ret&l!ltt~l~~ flat and h,lp.Pefflroef sechons, promlnent octagol)al ·E . · srnokestac~, ~. ~- ~ castellated~achibolat~d co.rnice) cor:r:e~ turret~Q..N:l - - smal~ monl t~r-llke gabled st -~~t:q:es on. roof rldge~ ~ .• · p - · ~iaii' .. . rock-faced llmestone, · 5 ret~e;ws , ...,.._,tr.,_ ~ ., cw. c:t.U. tu(i . 1 ~~.;;;J;~...:Jii"!Wa.Ji4, .oc agonar shaft, bell~cast copper roof) corner turrets • ~~~~I..U;:,u...~n..i4J.l~iiio·.;.·... ~cu.l::! - ~ ro d_j~±o - · Tep ea _ ~; Gothic ~eviva l elements . · :Sand terminus. of a ~'mile-logg tunnel under the bed of Lake Miqhigan. · Only structures ·in centr.;ll ChJ..cago to.survive the disastfOUS fire of 1~71. . - - rwt'~~)O~.~~~~. . . P,Lt OJJJ we.:"' ~fttt. ~- , ~ pMt ~1')\L- ~- c; :\I /I c~c E:(maximum tl·o'O rcnte!_1CCS) '·