Western Springs Water Tower

United States historic place


Western Springs Water Tower
U.S. National Register of Historic Places


41°48′35″N 87°54′3″W / 41.80972°N 87.90083°W / 41.80972; -87.90083
Area	0 acres (0 ha)
Built	1892
Architect	Benezette Williams
NRHP reference No.	81000219^[1]
Added to NRHP	June 04, 1981

The Western Springs Water Tower is a museum and former water tower in Western Springs, Illinois. The stone tower is 112.5 feet (34.3 m) tall and 36.5 feet (11.1 m) in diameter. Construction on the tower began in 1892 and finished in 1893. Civil engineers Benezette Williams, Edgar Williams, and Ethan Philbrick designed the tower. In addition to holding water, the tower originally held the Western Springs police department, jail, and municipal offices. The village services all left the tower in 1968, and the Western Springs Historical Society opened a village museum in the tower two years later.^[2] In 1991, a lightning strike set the tower on fire, destroying the water tank; the museum reopened in 1993 after extensive rehabilitation efforts. The water tower is considered a symbol of Western Springs by residents, and multiple businesses and local organizations have taken their names from the tower.^[3]

The water tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 4, 1981.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ "Tower Museum". Western Springs Historical Society. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
^ Presecky, William (October 11, 1993). "Town's Renovated Water Tower Stands Tall". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 14, 2014.