History in Andersonville

The Swedish American History Museum is a multi-level museum and art gallery that exists in the space of the former Lind Hardware store in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago. Many locals and passersby will recognize the museum for the replica water tower on the roof that's painted to resemble the Swedish national flag. The original water tower was in place for nearly 90 years until the winter of 2014, when extremely harsh weather conditions damaged the tower. The tower was removed and then, after mobilization and support from the community, finally replaced with a lookalike tower that went up in the summer of 2017. The museum has year-round exhibits that detail the Swedish immigration experience from the late 19th century. There's also a children's museum and the space regularly hosts exhibitions for local artists and other events.