Water Tower Place
When it opened in 1975, this 859-foot reinforced-concrete slab was the tallest of its kind on earth — now mid-renovation and still reshaping the Magnificent Mile.
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A 74-story gray marble tower that single-handedly shifted North Michigan Avenue from elite boutiques to middle-class retail. A $170 million overhaul announced in April 2026 is reconfiguring the exterior and upper floors, so the building is visibly in transition — an interesting moment to pass through.
What to look for
- Gray marble cladding on the reinforced-concrete tower — the world's tallest concrete building when completed in 1975, now the twelfth tallest in Chicago
- The atrium-style mall compressed to its lowest floors, with upper shopping levels being converted to office space by MetLife
- The Chicago Water Tower nearby — the historic landmark the building is named for, which survived the Great Chicago Fire
Mall entrance on North Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile; the Ritz-Carlton hotel occupies upper floors of the same tower.
Water Tower Place is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Chicago, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Chicago pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Chicago
- Willis TowerIt held the world's tallest title for nearly 25 years after opening in 1973 — and the Skydeck is still the highest observation deck in the United States.
- Art Institute of ChicagoFour paintings you've seen your whole life — Nighthawks, La Grande Jatte, The Old Guitarist, American Gothic — hang in the same building.
- John Hancock Center (875 N Michigan Ave)A moving platform pivots you 30 degrees outward over the Magnificent Mile — 1,128 feet of nothing beneath your feet.
- Aon CenterWhen it opened in 1973 as "Big Stan," this 83-floor tower was the fourth-tallest building on Earth — and clad entirely in marble.
- United CenterThe Bulls hardwood floor is literally assembled over the Blackhawks ice and taken apart game by game — two teams, one frozen surface, shared by puzzle.
- Soldier FieldThe NFL's oldest stadium lost its National Historic Landmark status because of the renovation meant to save it.