A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conjunction with underground or surface service reservoirs, which store treated water close to where it will be used. Other types of water towers may only store raw (non-potable) water for fire protection or industrial purposes, and may not necessarily be connected to a public water supply.
The Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was Philadelphia's second municipal waterworks. Designed in 1812 by Frederick Graff and built between 1812 and 1872, it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a popular tourist attraction. It now houses a restaurant and an interpretive center that explains the waterworks' purpose and local watershed history. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its architecture and its engineering innovations. It was the nation's first water supply to use paddle wheels to move water.
The Bethlehem Waterworks, also known as the Old Waterworks or 1762 Waterworks, is believed to be the oldest pump-powered public water supply in what is now the United States. The pumphouse, which includes original and replica equipment, is located in the Colonial Industrial Quarter of downtown Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, between the Monocacy Creek and Main Street. It was declared a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1971, an American Water Landmark in 1971, and a National Historic Landmark in 1981. The building is a contributing property to the Historic Moravian Bethlehem Historic District which was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 2012 and later named to the U.S. Tentative List in 2016 for nomination to the World Heritage List.
Lockesburg Waterworks are a water storage and distribution facility at the junction of Hickory and Azalea Streets in Lockesburg, Arkansas. The facility consists of a water tower and three water storage sheds, of which the tower was built in 1936 with funding assistance from the Public Works Administration, a Depression-era works project. The older shed was built in 1945, and the second was built in 1990. The tower is a metal structure with four legs supported and stabilized by cross bracing, with a metal tank at the top which is sheltered by a conical roof. The oldest shed is a modest square brick structure at the center of the complex, while the 1990 shed is located at the southwest corner of the property.
The Allen Hazen Water Tower, also known as the Municipal Water Tower, is a historic structure located on the west side of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The Hampton Waterworks is a historic site located in Hampton, Arkansas. Completed in 1937, it is the only surviving example of a Public Works Administration-built waterworks in Calhoun County. The site contains a good example of a 1930s-era elevated steel water tower, built by the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
The Cotter water tower is a historic elevated steel water tower located in Cotter, Arkansas. It was constructed in 1935 by the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company, as part of the development of the local water supply system by the Public Works Administration. The tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, as part of a multiple-property listing that included numerous other PWA-era projects in Arkansas, under the heading “An Ambition to Be Preferred: New Deal Recovery Efforts and Architecture in Arkansas, 1933-1943.”
The Mineral Springs Waterworks is a historic site located in Mineral Springs, Arkansas. It contains a good example of a 1930s-era elevated steel water tower, built in 1936 by the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company in conjunction with the Public Works Administration as part of a project to improve the town's water supply. The tower was built to store water obtained from a nearby well. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, as part of a multiple-property listing that included numerous other New Deal-era projects throughout Arkansas. A new water well was drilled nearby in 1985; however, the original water tower still stands. The Mineral Springs Waterworks remains in operation.
The Monette Water Tower is a historic structure located at the junction of Arkansas Highway 139 and Texie Avenue in Monette, Arkansas. It was built in 1936 by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company in conjunction with the Public Works Administration as part of a project to improve the area's water supply. The Monette Water Tower is considered a good example of a 1930s-era elevated steel water tank. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, as part of a multiple-property listing that included numerous other New Deal-era projects throughout Arkansas.
The Tyronza Water Tower is a historic elevated steel water tower located in Tyronza, Arkansas. It was built in 1935 by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company in conjunction with the Public Works Administration as part of a project to improve the local water supply. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, as part of a multiple-property listing that included numerous other New Deal-era projects throughout Arkansas. The Tyronza Water Tower is considered an excellent representation of 1930s-era waterworks construction.
The McCrory Waterworks is a historic site located in McCrory, Arkansas. It contains an elevated steel water tower, built in 1936 by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company in conjunction with the Public Works Administration, which provided $39,497 in aid for the construction of the waterworks, which included the water tower, tank, and water shed. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, as part of a multiple-property listing that included numerous other New Deal-era projects throughout Arkansas.
The De Valls Bluff Waterworks is a historic public water supply facility at Rumbaugh and Hazel Streets in De Valls Bluff, Arkansas. It contains a 1930s-era elevated steel water tower, built in 1936 by the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company in conjunction with the Public Works Administration as part of a project to improve the local water supply. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, as part of a multiple-property listing that included numerous other New Deal-era projects throughout Arkansas. The property also contains several non-contributing buildings, including a shed, aeration chamber and water tank.
The Marianna Waterworks are located at 252 United States Route 79 in Marianna, Arkansas. The facilities at this location include an office building, two clear wells, one wellhouse, an aeration chamber, a water wheel, and a c. 1980 brick outbuilding and steel watertower. The main office building was built in 1936–37 with funding from the Public Works Administration, a Depression-era jobs program, while many of the other facilities were built c. 1930. The office building is a rambling T-shaped structure, with sections that are either one or two stories in height. It is built of red brick in the then-popular Spanish Revival style.
The Hughes Water Tower is located on Church Street in Hughes, Arkansas. It is a metal structure consisting of four legs, sloping inward as they rise, which support a roughly cylindrical tower with bowl-shaped bottom and a conical roof. The legs are joined by reinforcing rods to provide stability. A large metal pipe connects the tank to water facilities on the ground, and there is a walkway with railing around the tank. The tower was built in 1936 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Works Company with funding from the Public Works Administration.
The Keiser Water Tower is a historic waterworks facility at Water and East Main Street in Keiser, Arkansas. It is an open metal structure, several stories high, with a roughly cylindrical tank at the top, and a rising through the center to provide water to the tank. A ladder providing access to the tank is fixed to one of the legs, and there is a circular catwalk with railing around the tank. The structure was built in 1936 with funding from the Public Works Administration, and is one of the few Depression-era structures left in the small community.
The Green Forest Water Tower is a historic water tower, located near the junction of South Springfield and East Second Streets in Green Forest, Arkansas. It consists of a metal supporting structure with four legs and cross bracing, supporting a water tank with a bowl-shaped bottom, with a water pipe in the center of the structure connecting the tank to the water system. The tank was built in 1937 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Works Company with funding from the Public Works Administration. It is the only known surviving PWA-funded tower in Carroll County.
Grand Mound Town Hall and Waterworks Historic District, also known as Hose house, pump house, is a historic district located in Grand Mound, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The district is composed of two buildings and the town's water tower.
The Tuckerman Water Tower is a historic waterworks facility at the south end of Front Street in Tuckerman, Arkansas. It is a tall metal structure, with four latticed legs, braced with rods and sloping inward, to support a water tank that is bowl-shaped at the bottom and topped by a conical roof. A pipe traverses the center of the tower for the movement of water to and from the tank. Built in 1935 with funding support from the Depression-era Public Works Administration (PWA), it is the only remaining PWA tower of its type in the county.
The Sun Prairie Water Tower was built in 1899 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. It was added to the State Register of Historic Places in 1999 and to the National Register of Historic Places the following year.
Towering over the City of Bunnell is the city's most visible and iconic landmark: the City of Bunnell elevated steel water tower. The water tower is located at 100 Utility Street, Bunnell, FL 32110. It was built in 1926 by Chicago Bridge & Iron Company as part of a new waterworks system for Bunnell that went into operation in December 1927 and has been providing water to residents and local businesses to this day. The water tower is 110 feet high and its elevated steel tank holds 75,000 gallons of water. The elevated steel water tank has a conical top, Horton hemispherical bottom and is supported by four steel columns (legs) and reinforced with steel cross braces. The east and west sides of the elevated tank have black painted signage that read “City of Bunnell, Crossroads of Flagler County”
