The Fort Atkinson Water Tower is an unused

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

that was built in 1901 in Ft. Atkinson,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 2005. It is a -tall structure: a cream brick masonry base supports a steel tank. It has diameter just over at the base. With . The tower was deemed historically significant in its NRHP nomination in part as "a fine example of the type of water tower construction popular in Wisconsin during this period. It is distinctive in its overall height and its intact original steel tank. The tower also has fine brick construction making it a masonry landmark in Fort Atkinson." Also it is significant for representing the creation of a municipal water system, whose development "was fraught with considerable political debate. For almost 10 years, the issue of a municipal water works was debated and strongly opposed by a vocal minority. When the water works was finally built, it was both a political and historical event. That it happened in 1901, the beginning of a new century, was symbolic in that it was part of the overall growth and development of utilities that dramatically changed the way people in the community lived in the twentieth century. The water tower is the largest and most prominent symbol of the development of the Fort Atkinson water works, a symbol of the history of this important public service."

References

Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, Wisconsin Infrastructure completed in 1901 Towers completed in 1901 National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Wisconsin Water towers on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin {{Wisconsin-NRHP-stub