Niles in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Leaning Tower of Niles

Replica of Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

— Comparison and History of Each —

Leaning Tower of Niles Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 24, 2024

1. Leaning Tower of Niles Marker

Inscription.
Pisa
Height: 177 ft.
Diameter: 56 ft.
Leaning: 15.2 ft.
Year Started: 1171
Year Completed: 1334

6 bells, oldest 600 years

Materials Used: Cararra marble, Verruca stone on wood pile foundation
Architects & Engineers: Bonano & Tommaso Pisano; Benanto & Wm. of Innsbruck

Tower of Pisa is a detached bell tower for adjoining cathedral (Many towers were built in that manner during that period)

Chicago
Height: 94 ft.
Diameter: 28 ft.
Leaning: 7.4 ft.
Year Started: 1931
Year Completed: 1934

5 bells, oldest 334 years

Materials Used: Steel, concrete & pre-cast stone
Architects & Engineers: Albert Farr, N. Silvestri; August Ferngren

Chicago replica is a utility tower to store water. Design was selected to honor the outstanding scientist

Vincenzo Galileo or Galilei
1564–1642
Astronomer & developer of practical telescope's
Professor at University of Pisa in 1589
This tower is dedicated to all who contribute and strive to make this earth and its unlimited resources, materially and scientifically a better place for mankind

Erected 1958 by Robert A. Ilg.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Entertainment • Parks & Recreational Areas • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1932.

Location. 42° 0.746′ N, 87° 47.047′ W. Marker is in Niles, Illinois, in Cook County. It is on West Touhy Avenue 0.3 miles east of Caldwell Avenue (U.S. 14), on the right. The marker is to the right of the entrance into the tower, which is on its western side. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6300 West Touhy Avenue, Niles IL 60714, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this

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marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Bells of the Leaning Tower of Niles (within shouting distance of this marker); Smolensk Airplane Crash Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); Katyń Massacre Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); St. Adalbert's Cemetery Veterans Shrine (approx. 0.8 miles away); St. Adalbert Cemetery (approx. 0.8 miles away); Niles Veterans Memorial Waterfall (approx. 0.9 miles away); Site of the Former Niles Village Hall (approx. 0.9 miles away); Land Acknowledgement (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Niles.

More about this marker. Below the marker is one about the tower's designation on the National Register of Historic Places. To the left of the door is a plaque

Leaning Tower of Niles image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 25, 2024

2. Leaning Tower of Niles

The marker is to the right of the door; below it is a plaque denoting the tower's placement on the National Register of Historic Places. On the left is a plaque dedicated to the tower’s 1996 restoration.

related to the structure's 1996 renovation. Another marker about the bells of the tower is on the opposite of the reflecting pool, to the southeast of the tower.

This stretch of Touhy Avenue is the border between Chicago to the south and Niles to the north.

Regarding Leaning Tower of Niles. A regular on "unique U.S. landmarks to visit" lists, the Leaning Tower of Niles was the brainchild of Robert Ilg, owner of the Ilg Hot Air Electric Ventilating Company on Pulaski Road in Chicago. Ilg built a recreational park, Ilgair Park, on a 22-acre tract on Touhy Avenue for his company's employees. The park needed a large water tank to facilitate its pools and an artificial lake, and Ilg decided to create a water tower that was a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. As can be deduced from the marker, the Niles tower is a roughly half-size duplicate of Pisa's famous tower.

In 1960, Ilg and his family donated 4½ acres, including the tower, to the Leaning Tower YMCA, which was built there. Ilg died on Christmas Day 1964 at age 85. Niles became sister cities with Pisa in 1991 and began renovating its tower and turning the nearby area into

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 24, 2024

3. Leaning Tower of Niles

A plaque related to the tower's bells is to its southeast.

a plaza. In 2015, the village officially acquired the building from the YMCA and over the next few years invested in more renovations, including restoring the bells at the top of the tower. The YMCA closed in 2021 and was sold to the village, which demolished it in 2025 to make way for a dining and entertainment complex. But the Leaning Tower of Niles, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020, will remain standing as a curious landmark along busy Touhy Avenue.

Also see . . .
1. Leaning Tower of Niles. Official page from the Village of Niles (Submitted on August 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Niles Leaning Tower named a national historic landmark. From the Chicago Tribune in 2020 (Submitted on August 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. What's That Building? The Leaning Tower of Niles. From WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station (free signup required) (Submitted on August 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 24, 2024

4. Leaning Tower of Niles

A view from the east, on Touhy Avenue.

Leaning Tower of Niles bells image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn

5. Leaning Tower of Niles bells

A view of the bells at the top of the tower; the bells ring four times daily.

Plaque related to the Leaning Tower of Niles's 1996 renovation image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 24, 2024

6. Plaque related to the Leaning Tower of Niles's 1996 renovation

It is located to the left of the tower's door, facing west.

Springfield College Archives and Special Collections, circa 1960

7. Leaning Tower of Niles

This early 1960s photo depicts the tower soon after it was donated to the YMCA. The YMCA building was demolished in 2025.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 444 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on August 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.