Is the City Gallery at Water Tower still showing exhibitions?

Giving an urban icon a second life, then watching that life quietly fade. One of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire, the Chicago Water Tower still stands on Michigan Avenue. It’s part of the identity of Chicago. You see it and immediately know where you are. For a stretch of time, roughly 2009 to 2017, the inside of the tower operated as the City Gallery. It was small, able to hold about 20 to 40 works. But the size almost made it better. You weren’t just looking at art. You were inside the Water Tower, moving through a space that is usually sealed off. I wish I had documented it more carefully. I have no full walkthrough. Just a few photos and a short video. In one of those moments, I placed a piece of my street art on top of a lion relief inside the tower. The intention wasn’t to be ironic or disruptive. It was to add something human to the space—something that might catch a person off guard in a good way. Here’s that video from 2011. There’s also a walk-through…