Grand Water Tower ("Old White")

20th Street and Grand Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63107

The Grand Water Tower was built to look like a Corinthian column. It is 154-feet tall and was completed in 1871. It was taken out of service in 1912 and soon began to fall into disrepair. Eventually there were calls for it to be torn down, but in 1933, residents of the city protested and saved the tower from the wrecking ball.

Out of the seven water towers that are still in existence in the United States, St Louis is home to three. The other two water towers are the Bissell Water Tower and the Compton Hill Water Tower. These three water towers located in St. Louis are each over a century old, being built in the late 1800's. They are actually standpipe water towers and were built to equalize the water pressure in the city. The old steam driven water pumps that sent water through the city also caused large surges in the water pressure which caused the pipes to rattle and shake. The towers were built around the standpipes for aesthetic purposes and now each of them are on the National Register of Historic Places and are St Louis Landmarks.

Grand Water Tower Related Links:

History of the St. Louis Water Division Website