Event Overview
The Lost Neighborhood of Watertown
A Chicago Water Week Walk with Intentional Gravity
Before the Magnificent Mile… before Streeterville… this corner of Chicago had another name.
Watertown.
Centered around the historic water works near Chicago Avenue and Michigan Avenue, Watertown was once a small neighborhood shaped by one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the city—the system that brought clean water from Lake Michigan into a rapidly growing Chicago.
Today the name has largely disappeared, even though the story remains all around us.
As part of Chicago Water Week, join International Gravity for a short walking conversation through the area once known as Watertown. Together, explore how water infrastructure shaped the city, why some neighborhood identities endure while others fade, and how invisible systems quietly influence the places you live and work.
Along the way you’ll reflect on a few questions:
• What systems quietly shape Chicago today?
• How do neighborhoods—and innovation ecosystems—form and evolve?
• What pieces of infrastructure today will future Chicagoans look back on as foundational?
This walk will be informal and conversational, with a few short stops and plenty of time for discussion.
Come curious, comfortable walking shoes recommended.
Host: Intentional Gravity
Location
Gold Coast/River North (exact location will be shared upon registration)
Date and Time
Friday May 8, from 9am to 11am
Cost
$25 Tickets
Event Type
Innovation, Tour
