Compton Hill Reservoir Park is a public park located in the Compton Heights neighborhood of

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, USA. Located on one of the highest elevations within the city, the park surrounds a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

used to provide

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

for many of the city's residents.

History

James P. Kirkwood selected the site of the reservoir, one of the highest elevations within the 1855 city limits. As the reservoir occupied only of the site, Kirkwood suggested the remaining land be turned into a park. The top of the reservoir structure was at one time covered with elevated tennis courts; presently, two newer tennis courts lie to the east. The water tower was retired in 1929, after 30 years, when the Howard Bend Plant was put in service: the

static head In fluid mechanics, pressure head is the height of a liquid column that corresponds to a particular pressure exerted by the liquid column on the base of its container. It may also be called static pressure head or simply static head (but not ''sta ...

from the Stacy Park Reservoir, in what is now the St. Louis suburb of Olivette, caused an overflow of pure chemically treated water into the sewer system. The reservoir and water tower were renovated, in 1999, at a cost of $19 million. In 1969,

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Fal ...

was constructed through the northern edge of the park, reducing the area of the park to its present size.

Compton Hill Water Tower

The Compton Hill Water Tower, built in 1898, is the youngest of three remaining stand pipe-

water tower 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 conju ...

s in St. Louis. Whereas, in 1901, more than 423 stand pipe style water towers existed in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, as of 2008 only about a dozen remain standing, three of which are in St. Louis (the other two being the Bissell Tower and the Grand Avenue Water Tower). The tower was built to disguise a diameter, tall standpipe in its interior. The standpipe helped to control the dangerous surges in the city's pipes caused by the reciprocating pumps and maintain an even water pressure. The water tower was designed by

Harvey Ellis Harvey Ellis (October 17, 1852, Rochester, New York – January 2, 1904, Syracuse, New York) was an architect, perspective renderer, painter and furniture designer. He worked in Rochester, New York; Utica, New York; St. Paul, Minnesota; Minneap ...

who also had a hand in designing the headhouse for

St. Louis Union Station St. Louis Union Station is a National Historic Landmark train station in St. Louis, Missouri. At its 1894 opening, the station was the largest in the world that had tracks and passenger service areas all on one level. Traffic peaked at 100,000 ...

. Occasionally, the observation deck at the top of the water tower is opened to the public, allowing visitors to see 360-degree panoramic views of the city. The Compton Hill Water Tower was declared a city landmark in 1966 and added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1972.

''The Naked Truth''

The statue ''The Naked Truth'', unveiled in 1914, was a gift to the city of St. Louis by the German-American Alliance in

honor Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

of Carl Schurz, Emil Preetorius and Carl Daenzer, editors of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

St. Louis newspaper '' Westliche Post''. Controversy erupted over the statue's nudity before the monument was even built when a jury selected the design of Wilhelm Wandschneider, the only non-local sculptor in the design contest. At the request of

Adolphus Busch Adolphus Busch (10 July 1839 – 10 October 1913) was the German-born co-founder of Anheuser-Busch with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. He introduced numerous innovations, building the success of the company in the late 19th and early ...

, who had contributed $20,000 of the $31,000 cost of the monument, the statue was made of bronze instead of white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

to deemphasize the nudity. The statue was moved to its present location south of the water tower after

was constructed through the northern edge of the park. The statue was designated a city landmark in 1969.

References

External links

Compton Hill Reservoir Park
official site

Facebook page
Compton Hill Water Tower
- Compton Heights neighborhood page about the water tower
The Water Tower and Park Preservation Society

- Information about the three remaining water towers in St. Louis {{Parks of Greater St. Louis Parks in St. Louis Urban public parks Water supply infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places Landmarks of St. Louis German-American culture in St. Louis National Register of Historic Places in St. Louis Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Tourist attractions in St. Louis 1867 establishments in Missouri

History

Compton Hill Water Tower

''The Naked Truth''

See also

References

External links