Grand Avenue Water Tower
Encyclopedia
The Grand Avenue Water Tower is a water tower
located at the intersection of Grand Avenue and 20th street in the College Hill
neighborhood
of St. Louis
, Missouri
. It is the oldest extant water tower in St. Louis, pre-dating both the Bissell Street Water Tower and the Compton Hill Water Tower.
in the form of a Corinthian order
column with brick, stone and cast iron trim. Inclusive of its base, shaft and capital, it stands 154 feet tall. Inside was a standpipe, five feet in diameter, to hold water. In addition to being used for firefighting
, the pressure in the pipe regulated water pressure in the area. In 1912, the water tower was decommissioned, and its standpipe and internal spiral staircase were removed. The staircase was replaced by a vertical ladder, and the tower was modified to include an aircraft warning light. In 1998, the water tower was restored and lit by floodlights.
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
located at the intersection of Grand Avenue and 20th street in the College Hill
College Hill, St. Louis
College Hill is a neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. The name College Hill was given to this area because it was the location of the St. Louis University College Farm. This area, bounded generally by Warne College Hill is a neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. The name College Hill was given to...
neighborhood
Neighborhoods of St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri, is divided into 79 neighborhoods. Census data is collected for each neighborhood, as well as crime data, historic property data, and dining establishment health ratings. National historic neighborhoods are identified by the official neighborhood to which they belong.Also,...
of St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. It is the oldest extant water tower in St. Louis, pre-dating both the Bissell Street Water Tower and the Compton Hill Water Tower.
History
The tower was built in 1871 by architect George I. BarnettGeorge I. Barnett
George Ingham Barnett was an architect from St. Louis, Missouri. He was called The Dean of St. Louis Architecture for his contributions to the buildings of St. Louis as well as for his influence on other architects in the United States....
in the form of a Corinthian order
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
column with brick, stone and cast iron trim. Inclusive of its base, shaft and capital, it stands 154 feet tall. Inside was a standpipe, five feet in diameter, to hold water. In addition to being used for firefighting
Fire fighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing fires. A firefighter fights fires to prevent loss of life, and/or destruction of property and the environment...
, the pressure in the pipe regulated water pressure in the area. In 1912, the water tower was decommissioned, and its standpipe and internal spiral staircase were removed. The staircase was replaced by a vertical ladder, and the tower was modified to include an aircraft warning light. In 1998, the water tower was restored and lit by floodlights.