One of the only structures to survive the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, where legend holds a pump operator took his own life rather than burn—his shadow reportedly appears in the upper windows
806 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free admission to the City Gallery inside
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved plaza on Michigan Avenue
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1869 · Great Chicago Fire Survivor · Second-Oldest Water Tower in the US · Chicago Landmark · National Register of Historic Places
The Chicago Water Tower was completed in 1869 by city engineer William W. Boyington, at a time when Chicago was expanding its water system to address chronic contamination of the river supply. The 182-foot Gothic Revival tower of Lemont limestone housed a 138-foot vertical standpipe that equalized pressure fluctuations from the Chicago Avenue Pumping Station across the street. The two structures formed the core of Chicago's mid-19th-century water infrastructure.
On the night of October 8–9, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire swept through the city, driven by dry conditions and strong southwest winds. The fire burned roughly 3.3 square miles and killed an estimated 300 people. The Water Tower survived while the surrounding neighborhood was destroyed. The pumping station's roof caught fire during the conflagration, interrupting the water supply, but the tower itself escaped. Oscar Wilde later called it a monstrosity in 1882; Mark Twain reportedly shared the opinion. Chicago residents were not amused.
The tower ceased active water service in 1906 and has since served cultural functions. It now houses the City Gallery operated by the Chicago Office of Tourism, showing work by local photographers and artists. The tower was designated a Chicago Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of a small number of pre-fire structures still standing in the city's core.
Sources
The story attached to the Water Tower describes a pump operator who stayed at his post as the Great Chicago Fire approached, unable to escape the flames. According to the legend, facing death from the fire, he climbed to the upper section of the tower and hanged himself. Since then, observers claim to see the silhouette of a hanging figure visible through the upper windows, typically on dark evenings when the building is closed and unlit.
The legend has circulated in Chicago ghost tour literature since at least the 1980s and is documented in regional paranormal guides. Tourists and passers-by have cited seeing a darkened human shape at the tower's upper-story windows when the building is otherwise empty. The figure is described consistently as male and stationary, visible briefly before disappearing.
Historically, the pump operator narrative has no documentary support. The fire was reported extensively by Chicago newspapers and city officials, and no deaths inside the Water Tower are recorded. Frank Trautman, a German immigrant fireman, is the documented hero of the tower and pumping station's survival—he soaked canvas and woolen covers to protect the structures from the fire's heat. Whether he or anyone else was inside the tower as the fire peaked is not recorded. The ghost story appears to have developed independently of any identifiable historical event.
Notable Entities
The Chicago Office of Tourism operates a free art gallery inside the tower featuring works by local photographers and artists. The interior standpipe and original pumping machinery are partially visible. Hours vary seasonally; check the city's cultural affairs site.
The 182-foot Lemont limestone tower is fully visible from the Michigan Avenue sidewalk and plaza. The adjacent Chicago Avenue Pumping Station, also a fire survivor, stands across the street and remains an operational water facility.
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