Reviews of City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower. (Museum) in Chicago (Illinois).

City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower

581 Reviews

252 Comments

City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower

Museum

Art gallery

806 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States

Go to all the reviews

Description Map Opening Hours Reviews Contact Photos

Description

Information of City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower, Museum in Chicago (Illinois)

Discover the opening times, the location, contact, popular times, photos and real reviews by internet users.

This place has a very good rate, they treat their customers well and you’ll feel welcome, super recommended

Map

Open hours of City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower

Sunday

10 am–5 pm

Monday

10 am–7 pm

Tuesday

10 am–7 pm

Wednesday

10 am–7 pm

Thursday

10 am–7 pm

Friday

10 am–7 pm

Saturday

10 am–5 pm

Popular times

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Thursday

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Saturday

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Reviews of City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower

Raed Al-Dukhayyil

What a beautiful old architecture - very historical place. It is really worth to visit a long the popular street "Michigan Ave" - you will not miss this unique structure, although it is surrounded by high-rise buildings. I strongly recommend to grab your coffee and sit at this place and relax.

Derek Nielsen

This is one of the best places to take a few minutes to decompress in the bustling city. Grab a coffee, a good book or just set the phone down and take it all in. The benches all around the park are perfect for people watching and taking a little time out

Sera K

I was walking by and just stopped to enjoy the view of this amazing historical building . When I have a free time, I want to come to this spot in the morning with my coffee and sit on one of the benches and enjoy the view.

Jordon Thompson

Beautiful architecture, juxtaposed with the modern buildings surrounding it ! Water Tower place shopping centre just across the street

Ankita Banerjee

A very beautiful architecture and a hidden gem in the middle of the city. Pure serenity. I came across this place while walking on the Michigan Avenue and was instantly captivated. Plenty of sitting areas and benches to rest and to hangout. There is also a nice little fountain in the front of the tower with constant water falling sound which gave this area another peacefulness and calmness. A must visit in the middle of Downtown Chicago!

Chao Peng

Great place worths visiting but not accessible.

Pepper Giese

I've been coming here for over thirty years. It's an integral part of the Chicago landscape. I consider it pretty, but, you know, even if you walk slowly around the whole block, It's only going to take a few minutes. Fortunately, there are a lot of things to do nearby, from shopping, to carriage rides, free and paid museums, and just walking around, looking at the cityscape as it changes minute by minute. There's free parking before eight AM and after midnight within a block on the street. Chicago has a lot to offer.

Bruce Johnson

Historical Chicago landmark is a wonderful visit on a nice summer day with street musicians - today.cello!

Marla Cristina García Pérez

It's an absolutely beautiful building. Really nice place to sit and relax. The history and the architecture of the building is amazing. Although it is surrounded by many tall buildings, it is easily identifiable and any local is willing point you in the right direction. Highly recommend visiting.

Jay Johnson

If you're in Chicago during warmer months the historic tower and park is a nice area to sit and people watch. We walked over to the park after getting ice cream at Ghirardelli's and sat in the park to enjoy our ice cream. There's also a small perennial garden with lots of butterflies and sparrows, I even saw a rabbit.

Juan Cruz (Temble)

Such beautiful structure. Looked so good at night. It looks like outta place between all the modern building around it so it makes it even more iconic.

Nihar Rao

A landmark embracing civil engineers of Chicago.

Alex de los Reyes

Interesting structure but not much to see and do here. Can only view the ground floor and inside is a city photo gallery with some nice pictures. Better visited from outside to appreciate the beautiful architecture.

Josie Nixon

The Chicago fire couldn’t bring this beauty down, neither can bad reviews! A very beautiful site.

Юрій Залізняк

Small part of old spirit in the Chicago's downtown. The contrast with skyskrapers around is very poetic.

Frank G

What beautiful architecture… How could you not give it five stars

Jennifer Taylor

Really pretty we stayed near the tower for a birthday weekend in my home town chicago. I was hoping to see it at night but chicago weathee had other plans. Some issues trash on the ground and people trying to sell "school candy".

Beatriz Vázquez

Once you are at the Water Tower Place it may be worthy a visit to the gallery. One of the oldest buildings in Chicago. Really well maintained.

Han N Lumin

Historic water tower structure

K H

Nice place to visit. Has a little park area to sit and this beautiful old water Tower.

Manisha Mayekar

Beautiful architecture.. Right on magnificent mile

Hothman Misane

Beautiful piece of architecture centered between tall glass buildings. A historical piece indeed and its gorgeous during the winter holiday season. Outside of viewing and taking a pic there was not much to it otherwise.

Billdoe

Worth the stop, very cool.

Russ Lacuata

Even though it stands in the shadows of the tall buildings around it, the historic Water Tower was first built in 1869, it's 154 foot height was probably pretty impressive. But it's claim to fame is that it is one of only a few structures that remained standing after the great Chicago Fire in 1871. It's a popular tourist attraction of the Magnificent Mile. It serves as a photo gallery and tourist information center.

Sycamore Fang

It's truely impressive and breathtaking.

N. Puen

A historic and very beautiful water tower.

SCG

Built in 1869 and located on the Magnificent Mile, the Chicago Water Tower is interesting in that it is one of the few structures to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. There’s not much to see or do here, so plan on spending less than five minutes and you’re done.

Thomas Besore

This gallery is a quick visit as it's not so large inside. It's a great excuse to check out the historic water tower which some find more interesting than the small art collections on exhibit here. Listen carefully for the ghost.

Leigh Anne Manguiob

The city gallery in the historic Water Tower is beautiful! I have never seen a building quite like this. The area it's in is gorgeous, full of city life and things to do. This is def one of the places to visit when coming to Chicago.

Mayank Gupta

Its a beautiful landmark right in the heart of magnificent mile. It has a historical significance to it coz it was the building which survived the Chicago fire back in the years. A must see tourist attraction.

Grigol Makharadze

This historic building is very important for the city of Chicago. This building is the only one, that survived Chicago's great fire in 1871. Now surrounded with chic shopping district and Magnificent Mile, it serves like a tourist destination.

Vineet Singh

An awesome piece of architecture nestled in the heart of Michigan Avenue.It is a landmark of Old Chicago Water Tower District. Many people don't realize that one can go inside the water tower. It was one of the few buildings which survived the great fire in Chicago.It is always surrounded by people. There are some seats and small fountain outside the tower where people just relax. One would also encounter a number of horse drawn carriage rides in the vicinity of the tower.

Tony Recktenwald

Other than it's function as tourist landmark (& survivor of the great Chicago fire) the water tower often has a free gallery inside showcasing local artists, charities, and events. It's a great little gallery (although small) but a good way to break up the shopping and storefronts along Michigan Ave.

Kyle Johnson

The Chicago Water Tower is a contributing property and landmark in the Old Chicago Water Tower District. It is located at 806 North Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile shopping district in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois in a small park, the Jane M. Byrne Plaza. The tower was constructed to house a large water pump, intended to draw water from Lake Michigan. Built in 1869, it is the second-oldest water tower in the United States, after the Louisville Water Tower in Louisville, Kentucky. The Chicago Water Tower now serves as a Chicago Office of Tourism art gallery known as the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower. It features the work of local photographers and artists, and filmmakers. Cool place

Julia Burke

The Historic Water Tower may not be an architectural masterpiece. Oscar Wilde once said it looked like "a castellated monstrosity with pepper boxes stuck all around it." Whatever that means. But it is the only public building in the burned zone to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. And it is one of few of the surviving structures still standing. Built in 1869 by architect William W. Boyington from yellowing Lemont limestone, it is 182 feet tall. Located at 806 North Michigan Avenue, along the Magnificent Mile shopping district, in a small park, the Jane M. Byrne Plaza, it was constructed to house a large water pump, intended to draw water from Lake Michigan. Today, it is the second oldest water tower in the United States, after the Louisville Water Tower in Louisville, Kentucky. It serves as a Chicago Office of Tourism and art gallery, featuring the works of local photographers, artists and filmmakers. The Historic Water Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

jane val

The actual art gallery space is very small, but this is located in a Chicago historic landmark. You can get away from the cold or heat in Chicago for a few minutes depending on the weather and it is located in a cute little park where you can take a break from shopping for a few minutes. It would be nice if it was bigger, but still a Chicago treasure none the less! #LocalGuides @GoogleLocalCHI

Whistle Blower

i stopped by here for a little break in our tour of town. this place and the surrounding park is a great place to regroup and take a breather from the miles of asphalt you'll be hitting while walking around this beautiful city

Erin Yarkosky

It was very nice to have some culture in between shopping. Our daughters enjoyed looking at the animal art! It has enough interest for all!

Diana Gagarina

Such a gem. So many walk past this without knowing it is here. This is a local's gallery and one to not be missed.

Rachel Klara Chapman

The Water Tower Which Saved Chicago A Few Times.

Eldar Matmusaev

Best from 6th floor Starbucks in Uniqlo shop.

Mike

Cool evil building picture

Bryce Caster

This historic structure survived the Great Fire and now has local art exhibits. My favorite one was on Cards Against Humanity. Always free.

Mohannad

It's nice to see the original water tower, especially how they use it as a small museum exhibit. Make sure to visit it at different times of the year to see what new.

Katherine Kantardjieff

Nice small museum. Free access. Great if you like old photos of Chicago architecture.

G.C. Hung

The Historic Water Tower Works celebrated 150 years in Chicago since Master Architect W.W. Boyington designed and constructed it at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Pearson Street in the Windy City.

Ellen Coffin

Wonderful walk downtown

Misty Villafuerte

Always stop here when I'm walking by. Great spot cool off in the summer or warm up in the winter all while peeking at a new exhibit or learning something new about the city

Ali hamza Qalandri

Awesome oldest Tower

Mary Hildebrandt

The history at this location is rich, with its involvement in the great Chicago fire. The "gallery" has nothing to do with its history. You can be in and out in 10 mins or less.

Norman Tweet

Neat building. Lots of interesting history if you read up on it.

KC Smith

Cool place to take the kiddos. Lots of things to do. very LARGE building. Parking is high in price are hard to get.

Kt O'Neal

Beautiful exterior! Great photo opps. Inside takes 10min or less & kinda boring but staff was really nice.

Naymar Franquiz

It is a very beautiful structure, which conveys I don't know. By night or by day it is beautiful.

William Muller

This is a must for visitors. Get maps, ideas of places to visit, history of the water tower and surrounding area. Great piece of history!

Crystal Reichert

Beautiful building. Small art gallery inside. Free and only takes 20 minutes to view everything.

Roger McHaney

Interesting place to visit. I always find something interesting here to positively influence my day. You can be inspired, reflective or just enjoy the art here...

Bob Perschau

Nice place to take out of town guests when they want to sight-see. Good photo ops.

Larry Martin

Nice place to sit and people watch!

Matt

It's cool looking.

Nero T

This water tower is a nice stop when exploring Chicago's architecture. You can't miss it if you're walking the magnificent mile

Liliana Verónica López Aguilar

I enjoyed my visit here, when I went they had the "Cards against humanity" exhibition, which will continue until September 4th 2016

Allan Ung

A beautiful building worth a visit. Nice art gallery you should not miss.

Nicholas Wisniske

Very beautiful building.

L Rich

Enjoyed thoroughly and you will as well.

Buqi Tao

It looks really beautiful outside, but inside was kind of boring, there was not much artwork but with an introduction of some sort of table game...weird

Urban Traveler

One of the two remaining buildings of the great Fire

Neil K

Not much to see here, just a free little art gallery in one of Chicago's oldest buildings. Worth a check if you're passing by it.

Marshall Bain

Beautiful and historic building built on the same site as the water tower destroyed in the 1871 fire

899 564

Neat spot for a quick 5 minute walkthrough. Lots of people protesting/evangelizing outside with megaphones trying to out yell each other though.

Ben

Cool area and piece of history to visit.

Alok Kumar Verma

The buildings are rather pretty and very impressive: their white exterior shines brightly under the floodlights.

Jeremy B

Very cool architecture.

ira Wesley

As you know Chicago water tower is the king Palace. It sits right on the Magnificent Mile.

Javier Gibaja

You can't imaging this historical building in the middle of Chicago and the Magnificent Mile. Always crowded but is fun to watch and learn from the history of the tower.

Fernando Pérez Rodríguez

Beautiful building where you can find art and learn about the city.

SimPa

Nice place in the center👍 …

knickknackPoliwag

Very cool historic building right in the center of the shopping district

Oscar H. Fajardo

One of few buildings to survive the great Chicago fire. Still stands and a testament to its great architecture.

Matt S.

Very cool, it's strange to see this old architecture in the middle of the city.

Migdalia Robles

Loved it. Alot of excellent stores and shopping at Macy's was Great

Angelo Davis

Most people who walk by probably think they can't go inside, but is your visiting you should definitely check out this piece of history

Karl Schmidbauer

Saw the "Cards Against Humanity" exhibit, it was well done for such a small space.

marybeth oakley

This place was amazing! Something to see everywhere you turn!

Gaurang Gandhi

Nothing much to see. But its on magnificient mile n that street is worth taking a walk

Dominiek C

Interesting view over Chicago. One of the important must see attractions in Chicago.

Erik Nye

Small but sweet. The building looks great at night and in the snow.

Vivek Verma

Nice place for shopping. No high name brand restaurants to eat from.

Ishaan Roy

Stunning all day long! But the view at night is surreal!

Marc M.

Great quick visit and makes for a beautiful setting in downtown!

Old Fellow

Very nice

Le Va

Well historic condition!!

Random One

Beautiful inside and out! Exterior is great for photos.

Mona Sabau

It looks beautiful but it's closed down!

juv mol

What a beutifull little mall in the middle of downtown Chicago, thumbs up!

Josh Richard

Small gallery to scope out on your way by in a cool historical landmark.

David DuBois

A quick peek to see how the cities water system works is cool.

Alfred Lin

Tried sausage deep dish pizza, very good!

Clint Phillips

Nice, free gallery with regularly rotating collections.

Donald Gallegos

Nice landmark, be sure to read the history behind this

abhishek prince

A good place to see Chicago from magnificent mile

Tourist attraction. Get a ride with horse cairages

Ashley Abraham

Free gallery with old photos of the city. Nothing fancy

Opti World Online

Nice little museum about the Chicago Fire.

Mike Shareef

Historic beautiful building, in the heart of Chicago

SEDRE

Part of the history of the city of Chicago nice to walk through.

Danny Williams

Old Chicago history, this building is not going anywhere, not even a fire could destroy it.

Bryce Coffey

great place to see the artistic side of chicago

Valerie Watson

I LOVE THE FACT IT HAS BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECT!!!

James Seedorf

A very small feature, but it I'm glad I stopped in.

Chris Mahoney

Awesome little hidden gem on Michigan Ave.

Fred Apfel

gallery is meh, but the tower is impressive.

Sandra Oswald

Amazing experience. Shopped till I dropped.

Stacey Sender

nice place for tourist and locals alike

arabinda5064

View was superb in Christmas night

Mark D

It is the symbol of Chicago and survival!

Jasmin T

First time here and it was amazing.

Adrian Tbs

Nice place for our cubes.

Nicollette

Great shopping place during bad weather!

captain hyderabad

One of the Places worth visiting in Chicago

M Reaves

Cool site in the city.

Katie Chafa

I love this historic place!

Ibrahim Abouzeid

Beautiful place for photography

Alex Obermeier

Nice Place.

Mubarak Hamdan

👍🏼👍🏼 …

Sérgio Gonçalves

The history of Chicago. Lovely.

Sung Kim

Lots of people and many shops around

astrorya

I wish there was a guitar center

Peggy Mitchell

Buildings are awesome 👌 …

Josh Goralski

Great historic landmark!

John Vulk

Great little bit of Chicago history

JD JD

Pretty cool building

Avigdor Freud

Wonderful old building.

Todd Scranton

I went on a walking tour of Chicago and that was a part of it.

sanjay varasada

Beautiful place to visit

Byoungjip Choi

Time travel experience and magnificent magic

Jim Nobody

Greatest City in the world!

Joe Patierno

Very cool space!

Michael Gramza

Great piece of history.

andre studios

Nice looking building

Riccky Lorca

One word.. beautiful

Gregory Taylor

Good view

Paul Walaszek

Historical and beautiful.

Gregg Johnson

Very nice place.

Mike Polo

What a beautiful building

MaryAnn Valencia

I love downtown Chicago!

Jim Milligan

Anything you could think if

Garrett Pfarr

I like the gallery at this location.

Ekeba International

Very interesting and informative

Cindy Lue Jamison

Beautiful architecture

Ignacio Flores

Save like the test of Chicago.

Eric Tagarao

IVe been meaning to go here

Johannes Krämer

Nice arts

Nicolas Sotgui

Beautiful architecture

mike james

could have been better

SB SKS

Water tower with Xmas celebration

Garrett Yentes

Beautiful landmark.

Sharyn Sobel

Interesting Free Gallery

Jola Chacinska

Beautiful gallery

Mela Mireles

Everybody has to stop there!

Dan Cris

Awesome!

John O'Sullivan

Very pretty!

JI Ca

Great architecture!!!!

Lisa Knutson

Beautiful views

Amy Mireles

Just stop by, worth it!

Becca Jones

Really rad

Brad W

Not too much here

Orlando Camacho (The General)

Must see landmark in Chicago

Blake Dudash

The edge

chasze green

Beautiful

Will Huhn

Interesting monument

Bhavesh Shukla

Nice..

Antonio Oliveira

Absolutely amazing

Gabby Rodriguez

Very pretty

Tejas Sarma

Good!

Erasmo Torrez

A go to

Chris Nunn

Love Chicago Landmarks!!!!

Soumik Chaki

Loved it

joe garcia

Gharadelli ice cream

Saffet Aşıksoy

Must see place in Chicago

Jermaine witherspoon

Great store

Alvaro Marti Rico

Nice place!

Hello I’m Mr Estrada

Beautiful

Irina Voloshina

Clean and beautiful

Imran Ali

Good like it

Delvonn Richards

Beautiful place

M Brewer

Nice

Andrew Pustka

Nice

Brian

Fun to shop

Georgio TV

Haunted place 😀 …

Antonette Person

Nice

Surendra Thapa

Good place in Chicago

Manjeet K

Awesome place

tomas chou

Nice

kanna pandu

good to visit

Chris Binion

Family oriented

Deborah Stazicker

Great place

Robby Buckner

Stunning

Alex Dougan

Historical place

Kyle Meng

Clean

Pedro Roldan

Nice place

Boi Anh Nguyen Dinh

Relic

Nygle Poindexter

Abdulla Al Anoohi

Great Arctic

Aleksandrs Smilgins

Good place

olujide lawal

Magnificent

Юрій Погонич

Interesting

Marie M

I like this

Jesús Ayala Cortés.

(Translation) Very nice and historical structure for the city. (Original) Muy bonita estructura e historica para la ciudad.

Esteban Brandan (Alma de Aventuras)

(Translation) An emblem in Chicago, this old building that withstood the great fire and the passage of time stands majestically among the modern skyscrapers that surround it. worth knowing (Original) Un emblema en Chicago, este antiguo edificio que resistió el gran incendio y el paso del tiempo se yergue majestuoso entre los modernos rascacielos que la rodean. Vale la pena conocer

יעלה חודציזן

(Translation) A dream is worth every dollar (Original) חלום שווה כל דולר

Marco Di Prima

(Translation) Note the bizarre location. At first glance you may think that it was built after the skyscrapers, but it is the opposite, the skyscrapers were joined by this fantastic gothic church, which managed to withstand the fire of 1871. A visit to it if you are in Downtown Chicago . (Original) Da notare la bizzarra locazione. A primo impatto si può pensare che è stata costruita dopo i grattacieli, ma è il contrario, i grattacieli sono stati affiancati a questa fantastica chiesa gotica, che riuscì a resistere all'incendio del 1871. Da farci un salto se si è a Downtown Chicago.

Hülya Baş

(Translation) We shot a funny video in front of a shopping mall in Chicago, the Turkish style one:) where we can only buy magnets with our warm, stylish, multi-storey, very valuable "Turkish Lira" :)) we laughed a lot :)) (Original) Chicago'da gittiğimiz bir avm, Türk usulü olandan:) sıcak, şık, çok katlı, çok değerli "Türk Liramız" ile ancak birer magnet alabildiğimiz avm:)) önünde komik video çekmiştik, çok gülmüştük:))

Max Max

(Translation) Probably the oldest historical building in the city! Not impressive though .... (Original) Probabilmente l'edificio storico più antico della città! Non è comunque impressionante....

유병호

(Translation) A building that survived even the Great Chicago Fire. Historic attractions that go well with Chicago's stunning architecture (Original) 시카고 대화재에서도 살아남았다는 건물. 시카고의 멋진 건축물들과 잘 어울리는 역사적 명소

T3K

(Translation) nice water tower (Original) Bonita torre de agua

platinumring J

(Translation) A must-visit place.. Take a look at the day and take a picture at night (Original) 꼭 방문해야하는 곳.. 낮은 구경하고 밤은 사진으로 한컷

Diana Barahona.

(Translation) Tip: On the fifth floor of the Uniqlo, which is in front of the water tower, there is a Starbucks where you can have a coffee with the most beautiful view of the entire avenue. (Original) Tip: En el quinto piso del uniqlo que se encuentra frente a la torre de agua hay un starbucks en el que puedes tomar un cafecito con la vista más linda de toda la avenida.

トムタク

(Translation) Old building which gives off conspicuous inside that huge building soars behind. A Chicago specialty worth taking a picture of. (Original) 巨大なビルが背後にそびえる中異彩を放つ古い建物。写真を撮っておくべきシカゴ名物。

Rodrigo Bernardi

(Translation) Very good (Original) Muito bom

Lorena Muñoz

(Translation) Buildings with an art of architecture Beautiful... (Original) Edificios con un arte de arquitectura Hermosa...

Holger Neitzel

Ein Stück Kunst in einem kleinem historischen Gebäude umgeben von Hochhäusern. Klasse. Freier Eintritt (Translation) A piece of art in a small historic building surrounded by skyscrapers. Class. Free admission

Marcondes Metzker

(Translation) Incredible architecture. It was closed and I couldn't see inside. (Original) Arquitetura incrível. Estava fechada e não pude ver o interior.

George Michael

(Translation) This place gathers many tourists. They tell me that the tower burned down many years ago and was rebuilt. (Original) Este lugar reúne a muchos turistas. Me cuentan que la torre se incendió hace muchos años y fue reconstruida.

Veronica Montuenga

(Translation) The water tower is a must see in Chicago. The gallery, although the entrance is free, is not worth it. (Original) La torre del agua es una visita obligada en Chicago. La galería, pese a que la entrada es gratuita, no vale la pena.

vero M.

(Translation) One of the few monuments that Chicago has and inside there is a small photo exhibition. (Original) De los pocos monumentos que tiene Chicago y dentro hay una pequeña exposición de fotos.

Gabi C. B.

(Translation) Beautiful building. Take a walk on the Michigan Ave. and there you find it and take many photos. (Original) Edificio precioso. Aprovecha pasear por la Michigan Av. y hay lo encuentras y haz muchas fotos.

Angel C Casillas

(Translation) It is a very cool place with tremendous structure. (Original) Es un lugar muy genial con tremenda estructura.

Erdal Uzer

(Translation) In the middle of the modern city, its antiquity has been preserved, still standing. (Original) Modern şehrin ortasında eskiliği muhafaza edilmiş, halen ayakta duruyor.

Auswahl sehr groß, gute Angebote, vor allem bei den reduzierten Produkten (Translation) Very large selection, good offers, especially for the reduced products

Alexander L

(Translation) It is worth learning the ability of Americans to preserve their history. (Original) Стоит поучиться умению американцев беречь свою историю.