Water Tower Place, Mixed-use skyscraper and shopping center on Michigan Avenue, Chicago, United States.
Water Tower Place is a mixed-use skyscraper on Michigan Avenue containing over 70,000 square meters of shopping space across 74 floors. The 262-meter-tall building houses nearly 100 stores, restaurants, and theater spaces across eight shopping levels arranged around a chrome-and-glass atrium.
The reinforced concrete structure was completed in 1975, marking a shift in Chicago's retail center from State Street to North Michigan Avenue. This development was part of broader urban redevelopment that reshaped the neighborhood's commercial character.
The building takes its name from the limestone Chicago Water Tower of 1869, which survives nearby as a symbol of the city's resilience. Visitors can see this historical landmark standing just outside the modern structure.
The building is easily accessible from Michigan Avenue with multiple entry points on different levels. The central atrium layout allows visitors to navigate naturally between shopping floors and dining areas.
A Ritz-Carlton Hotel occupies multiple floors within the tower, combining luxury accommodations with shopping in a single address. This integration of overnight lodging and retail on the same site is an unusual arrangement for this type of development.
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