The Pipestone Water Tower is a concrete

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 ...

in Pipestone,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Unreliable rainfall and a lack of glacial lakes in the area necessitate the use of a tower to pump and store water from an underground

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

History

The Pipestone Water Tower is unique in that it is one of only two water towers in the United States known to have been designed by architect L.P. Wolfe; its sister, the

Brainerd Water Tower The Brainerd Water Tower is located at Sixth and Washington in Brainerd in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Built in 1918, it was the first all-concrete elevated tank used by a municipality in the United States; even though it was replaced in 1960, ...

, is located in

Brainerd, Minnesota Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluence with ...

. It was built to replace an aged steel standpipe tower built in the late 1880s. Construction on the structure was commenced by the Campbell Construction Company in 1920 for $24,610. Water service from the tower began on October 26, 1921 and continued until it was replaced by a larger tower in 1976. A restoration of the tower was undertaken in 1990, along with the construction of a new wayside rest area.

Structure

The water tower, significant in that it is constructed of

poured concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

, stands at tall and roughly in diameter. The capacity tank is supported by a hollow supporting column which contains an unusual set of spiral windows and an internal staircase. The tower pumped and stored water from a reservoir built below it at the time of its construction, releasing the water via gravity on demand.

Present day

The tower has become the center of the Water Tower Festival, a community celebration held in late June.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Pipestone County, Minnesota Infrastructure completed in 1920 Towers completed in 1920 Water towers on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Water towers in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Pipestone County, Minnesota 1920 establishments in Minnesota