City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower

A resplendent venue showcasing Chicago-themed photography exhibits, the work of local photographers and artists, the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower, is centrally located along the city's famed Magnificent Mile.

Established March 20, 1999, City Gallery is a program of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Photography Department at Columbia College Chicago. Under the Curatorial Committee of Bob Thall, Dawoud Bey and Barbara Kasten, the City Gallery features four exhibitions per year. Exhibitions are free and open to the public.

The Chicago Water Tower is the city’s most familiar and treasured landmark. Constructed between 1867 and 1869, it was created for Chicago’s municipal water system, and originally housed a 135 foot iron standpipe used to regulate water pressure. It gained special significance as one of the few buildings to survive the destructive path of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Both the Water Tower and Pumping Station to the east were designed by William W. Boyington, one of Chicago’s most prolific architects of the mid-nineteenth century.