Louisville Water Tower
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| Louisville Water Company Pumping Station | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1856 |
| Architect: | Scowden,Theodore R. |
| Architectural style(s): | Classical Revival |
| Added to NRHP: | November 11, 1971 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 71000348 [1] |
| Governing body: | Louisville Visual Arts Association |
The Water Tower of Louisville, Kentucky, is the oldest ornamental water tower in the world, having been built before the more famous Chicago Water Tower.[2] Both the actual water tower and its pumping station are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Louisville in the 1830s and 40s had gained the nickname "graveyard of the west", due to the polluted local water giving Louisville residents cholera and typhoid at epidemic levels.[3] This was because residents used the water of tainted private wells. The decision was made by the Kentucky Legislature to form the Louisville Water Company in 1854.
It was purposely decided to render the water station an ornament to the city, to make dubious Louisvillains more accepting of a water company. Theodore Scowden and his assistant Charles Hermany were the architects of the structures. They chose an area just outside of town, on a hill overlooking the Ohio River, which provided excellent elevation. The location also meant that coal boats could easily deliver the coal necessary to operate the station. The main column, of the Doric order, rises 183 feet out of a Corinthian portico surrounding its base. The portico is surmounted by a cast-zinc balustrade with ten pedestals cast in zinc, originally supporting painted cast-iron statues from J. W. Fiske & Company, ornamental cast-iron manufacturers of New York, which depicted Greco-Roman deities, the four seasons, and an Indian hunter with his dog.[4] Even the reservoir's gatehouse on the riverfront invoked the castles along the Rhine.[5]
The water tower began operations in October 1860. The tower was not just pretty; it was effective. In 24 hours the station could produce 12 million US gallons (45,000 m³) of water.[6] This water, in turn, flowed through 26 miles (42 km) of pipe.
A tornado in 1890 irreparably changed the Water Tower. The original water tower had an iron pipe protected by a wood-paneled shaft, but after the tornado destroyed it, it was replaced with cast iron. The tornado also destroyed all but two of the ten statues that were on the pedestals. Shortly thereafter, a new pumping station and reservoirs were built in Crescent Hill, and the original water tower ceased pumping operations in 1909. The statues and the tower itself were most recently renovated in 1993.[7]
The tower is currently leased by the Louisville Visual Arts Association, who offer art displays inside, and hold an annual party during the Great Steamboat Race. Other annual events include an art auction and contemporary art dinner plates.
The National Historic Landmarks program currently considers the pumping station, as well as the boiler house, to be "deteriorated". There is also concern that the Ohio River Bridges Project might further endanger the property.[8]
[edit] Gallery
 View of the tower from Duffy's Landing in Jeffersonville, Indiana |
 Inscription upon the tower |
 Various statues depicting Greco-Roman gods |
 The Indian with his dog statue |
 A view from Zorn Avenue of the Tower |
 Historical Marker for the Pumping Station |
 Historical Marker for the Water Tower |
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ http://www.lwcky.com/about_us/towerhist.htm
- ^ Louisville Sweet Sixteen
- ^ Images of Water Company Pumping Station by Scowden in Louisville, Kentucky
- ^ About Us History
- ^ KY:Historical Society - Historical Marker Database - Search for Markers
- ^ http://www.lwcky.com/about_us/statues.htm
- ^ National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL)
[edit] External links
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