Highland Park Tower
Encyclopedia
The Highland Park Water Tower is a water tower
in the Highland Park area of Saint Paul, Minnesota
. It was designed by Clarence W. Wigington
, the nation's first African-American municipal architect. The tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1986.
The octagonally-shaped tower, on the second-highest point in Saint Paul, is constructed of brick and cut stone. It is 134 feet high and holds 200,000 gallons of water in a steel tank. It is topped with an arched observation deck, open to the public on special occasions for those willing to climb 151 steps. Beneath the observation deck, it is ornamented with carved downspouts and shields. The tower has been virtually unaltered since it was originally built.
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
in the Highland Park area of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. It was designed by Clarence W. Wigington
Clarence W. Wigington
Clarence Wesley "Cap" Wigington was an African-American architect who grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. After winning three first prizes in charcoal, pencil, and pen and ink at an art competition during the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1899, Wigington went on to become a renowned architect across...
, the nation's first African-American municipal architect. The tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1986.
The octagonally-shaped tower, on the second-highest point in Saint Paul, is constructed of brick and cut stone. It is 134 feet high and holds 200,000 gallons of water in a steel tank. It is topped with an arched observation deck, open to the public on special occasions for those willing to climb 151 steps. Beneath the observation deck, it is ornamented with carved downspouts and shields. The tower has been virtually unaltered since it was originally built.