Entry No. 30 — the Chicago file — filed under: roadside-oddity
Leaning Tower of Niles
A half-scale replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa rises 94 feet over a Chicago suburb, complete with a deliberate tilt of about seven feet off plumb. Built in 1934 by industrialist Robert Ilg, it originally disguised water-filtration tanks for an employee swimming pool before becoming a beloved municipal landmark. The aging YMCA building behind it was demolished in 2025, but the village owns the tower itself and is keeping it as the centerpiece of a new development.
The story
If you were a 1930s industrialist looking to build a private 22-acre recreation park for your fan-factory workers, you had a problem: water-filtration tanks for two outdoor swimming pools look hideous. So Robert Ilg, head of the Ilg Hot Air Electric Ventilating Company, hired architect Albert Farr to build a disguise. Completed in 1934, a 94-foot concrete-and-steel campanile rose over Niles with an intentional 7.4-foot tilt off plumb, hiding high-volume water storage inside half-scale arches.
You didn't hear it from us, but this isn't just cheap concrete theater. Hanging inside the belfry are five real bells—three of which were cast in Cavezzo, Italy in 1623, 1735, and 1747, pre-dating the United States itself. The stunt was so convincing that the Village of Niles parlayed its suburban water trick into an official sister-city pact with Pisa in 1991, binding Tuscan marble to suburban Chicago infrastructure.
The Ilg family handed the surrounding park land to the YMCA in 1960, but when maintenance costs mounted, the Village of Niles stepped in and bought the tower itself from the Y for a clean $10 in 2015. It earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. Even when wrecking crews brought down the adjoining vacant YMCA building in 2025, the village spared the tower, keeping its deliberate lean as the anchor for a new commercial redevelopment project.
What it's like
Pulling up along Touhy Avenue, you'll find the tower standing in a small paved plaza with fountain jets, right off a heavy suburban retail strip. Because the surrounding 6.6-acre site is under redevelopment following the 2025 YMCA demolition, pedestrian access paths near the tower's base can shift around construction fencing. You cannot go inside or climb to the top, so treat this as a quick 10-to-15-minute roadside pitstop. Time your visit for 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM, or 6:00 PM to hear the antique Italian bells chime across the parking lot, and prepare to watch visitors line up to strike the mandatory forced-perspective 'holding up the tower' pose.
The move: Pose for a forced-perspective 'holding up the tower' photo in the little plaza, then grab gelato nearby to complete the faux-Italy bit.
📍 Before you go Surrounding site is under redevelopment as of 2025-2026; the tower remains but access paths near it may shift during construction.
- 📍 Niles
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 6300 W. Touhy Ave, Niles, IL 60714
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Ed Paschke Art Center — Trade a 1930s architectural utility disguise for neon, glitch-distorted portraits at this free museum devoted to a Chicago Imagist master just three miles down the road.
- Bohemian National Cemetery — Head four miles southeast from a faux-Italian water tower to explore a historic 1877 Czech burial ground born from religious exclusion.
- Patio Theater — Follow up a half-scale Tuscan replica with a 1927 movie palace whose auditorium ceiling literally projects a cloud-drifted, star-lit night sky.
Good to know
Can you climb inside or go to the top of the tower?
No, the interior is closed to the public and there are no public climbing tours.
Does the tower actually lean, or is it an optical illusion?
It genuinely leans. It was engineered in 1934 with an intentional tilt of roughly 7.4 feet off plumb.
Why was a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa built in Niles?
Industrialist Robert Ilg built it in 1934 to conceal water-filtration tanks and pumps for two employee swimming pools in his private recreation park.
How does ongoing construction affect a visit?
The YMCA building directly behind the tower was demolished in 2025 for a new development, but the tower remains untouched; walkway paths and parking access near the plaza may temporarily shift while construction continues.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · cbsnews.com · abc7chicago.com · journal-topics.com
last checked: 2026-06-23