This illustration from the 1869 Annual of the Board of Public Works shows the entire water works complex. By this time,
Pine street has been redirected west of the tower and a fountain separates the two structures. (See more about the Pine St.
placement here.) This rendering shows the structure of the 1855 basin that was used to gather water through an inlet for
the earlier hydraulic system. Today's Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago sits within the area of this basin.


In addition to the original 5-foot tunnel leading from the 2-mile crib, this 1876 illustration
of the tunnel network includes the second tunnel, 7-feet in diameter that fed water south
into the city. The mound shape at the shoreline shows that land has filled in the old
breakwater wall from the original 1853 Water Works.
Sanborn Insurance Maps illustrate road details, building structures and materials, and waterlines.
This 1906 Sanborn Insurance Map detail shows the cluster of buildings that make up the pumping station
of the Chicago Avenue Water Works. The Water Tower, across the street appears on another map page.
The new fire station, built in 1903, appears with information that includes its equipment of a hose wagon,
4 horses, a 2500 foot hose, and mentions that it houses 13 men. Towards the east at the top of the diagram
the street opening is today's Mies Van Der Rohe Way, which crosses the front of the Museum of Contemporary Art.
The plan clearly shows that both the 5-foot and the 7-foot tunnels run underneath today's museum.


In this detail from the 1950 Sanborn Insurance Map, the Chicago Avenue Armory stands on the
space that was clear until its east wing was built in 1915. While today's Museum of Contemporary Art's
grounds utilize the entire armory footprint, by their building agreement, the museum only occupies
half of the grounds. Because of the tunnel structure and the high water table, basements were not part
of either buildings' design. The tunnels have been closed since the 1930s.