{"nrhp_refnum":"74000764","name":"Water Tower, Building 49","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Leonard Wood Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fort Sheridan","county":"Lake County","state":"IL","lat":42.21639377200006,"lon":-87.81180441399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-12-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick-and-stone water tower at the center of a 926-foot-long barracks building (later converted to administrative use) on Leonard Wood Avenue at Fort Sheridan, Lake County, Illinois, built 1889-91 and designed by Holabird and Roche.","why_significant":"The nomination calls the tower the outstanding structural feature of Fort Sheridan and one of the most prominent landmarks of the Chicago North Shore area. It is regarded as a monument to the craftsmanship, engineering and architecture of its era. It is also used on navigation notes by ships and aircraft.","narrative":"Rising 167 feet above the parade grounds of Fort Sheridan, this water tower forms the center of a long two-and-one-half-story building with a stone base and brick walls. The building, about 926 feet long, was designed as a barracks and later converted to administrative use. The tower is about 40 feet square, with rounded pier-like corners and slotted windows. An archway at its base once carried Sheridan Road through the structure. Holabird and Roche designed the complex, which was started in 1889, with the tower finished in 1891. The bricks came from native clay at Lake Bluff on the installation. The original steep tiled roof reached about 228 feet and was said to be modeled on the Campanile in Venice. It was lowered in 1949 because of structural problems. A 90,000-gallon tank inside still serves domestic and fire protection needs. The tower is recognized as a major local landmark, even used for navigation by ships and aircraft.","period_of_significance":"1889-91","architect_builder":"Holibird and Roche, Architects","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered: the original pagoda-style roof was lowered in 1949 after the tower was found structurally unsound. The tower still holds a 90,000-gallon water tank connected to the post water system, and the building is used for administrative purposes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.898138-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/46/8933/28893346/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/74000764.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000764/dc080adba0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000764/dc080adba0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"US gov","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheridan_Water_Tower.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">US gov</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheridan_Water_Tower.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"80001379","name":"Fort Sheridan Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/fort-sheridan-historic-district-80001379/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893346","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Sheridan_Water_Tower","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14687504"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/lake-county/water-tower-building-49-74000764/"}