The Grand Avenue Water Tower is a

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 ...

located at the intersection of Grand Blvd and 20th street in the College Hill neighborhood of

St. Louis 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 ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. 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. Barnett in the form of a Corinthian order column with brick, stone and

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trim. Inclusive of its base, shaft and capital, it stands tall. Inside was a standpipe with a diameter of five feet, designed 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 Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

were removed. The staircase was replaced by a vertical ladder, and the tower was modified to include an

aircraft warning light Aviation obstruction lighting is used to enhance the visibility of structures or fixed obstacles which may conflict with the safe navigation of aircraft. Obstruction lighting is commonly installed on towers, buildings, and even fences located i ...

. In 1998, the water tower was restored and lit by

floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...

.St. Louis Commerce Magazine. The tower is the tallest free-standing Corinthian column in the world. At it is much taller than the free-standing Corinthian columns Pompey's Pillar in

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() or the

Column of the Goths The Column of the Goths ( tr, Gotlar Sütunu) is a Roman victory column dating to the third or fourth century A.D. It stands in what is now Gülhane Park, Istanbul, Turkey.Mango (2000), p. 177 History The name of the 18.5 metre high free-st ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

(), or those in

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

s at the Temple of

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth t ...

at Baalbek which are tall, the

Temple of Mars Ultor The Temple of Mars ''Ultor'' was a sanctuary erected in Ancient Rome by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 2 BCE and dedicated to the god Mars in his guise as avenger. The centerpiece of the Forum of Augustus, it was a peripteral style temple, on th ...

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at , and the Olympieion in

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at .

Notes

References

*
St. Louis Commerce Magazine

External links

St. Louis Water Division listing of water towers
{{Registered Historic Places Government buildings completed in 1871 Landmarks of St. Louis Towers completed in 1871 Water towers on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Water towers in Missouri Corinthian columns 1871 establishments in Missouri Tourist attractions in St. Louis Buildings and structures in St. Louis

History

See also

Notes

References

External links