1 of 4
Photo by Emil Bohl, courtesy of the Missouri History Museum
The Compton Hill Water Tower and Reservoir Park, 1890.
2 of 4
Photo by Chris Naffziger
The Compton Hill Water Tower today.
3 of 4
Photo by Chris Naffziger
Another present-day view of the water tower.
4 of 4
Courtesy of the Missouri History Museum
A Compton Heights Subdivision Plat Map showing Reservoir Park.
There’s some exciting news to report at the Compton Hill Water Tower in Reservoir Park on South Grand Boulevard. The Water Tower and Park Preservation Society has just revealed 60 new images from the St. Louis Water Department’s archives of the construction of the Compton Hill Water Tower, as well as other elements of the city’s historic and state-of-the-art system, which dates back to the 19th century. Arranged around the curving staircase on the interior of the tower, visitors will be able to view the images when the viewing platform is open during full moons; the next opportunity is April 29 at 7 p.m.
A look at planner and surveyor Julius Pitzman's work in Compton Heights
The Preservation Society’s installation of the 60 new photographs is just one of a whole long list of improvements to the historic tower and park around it. Originally built in 1898 according to plans by architect Harvey Ellis for $48,000, the tower was the last of three of its kind. While today we refer to it and its two comrades as water towers, strictly speaking, it is a standpipe, since its function was to smooth out and regulate spikes in water pressure created by the huge steam engines at the water intakes on the Mississippi River. I met with John Maxwell, president of the Preservation Society, in the base of the tower, and he told me to imagine the loud crashing of the water shooting up and down the standpipe, still extant inside the tower, as the water plant’s steam engine’s double pistons sent the water throughout the city. The standpipe protected citizens’ private home water fixtures for 30 years before electric pumps’ smooth operation rendered the standpipes obsolete.
1 of 4
Courtesy of The Water Tower and Park Preservation Society /City of St. Louis Water Department
Bricklayers working on the water tower.
2 of 4
Courtesy of The Water Tower and Park Preservation Society /City of St. Louis Water Department
The Water Tower standpipe.
3 of 4
Courtesy of The Water Tower and Park Preservation Society /City of St. Louis Water Department
The Water Tower at three-quarters.
4 of 4
Courtesy of The Water Tower and Park Preservation Society /City of St. Louis Water Department
Steelwork being installed.
Harvey Ellis’s design for the Compton Hill Water Tower differed greatly from the older towers on North Grand. As noted by Society member Robert Byrne, the tower is actually two concentric walls, undoubtedly built to withstand the stress of the standpipe rattling the structure for decades. The lower stories of the tower are built out of rusticated limestone; the higher portions, buff-tan brick, and near the top, cast concrete and terracotta complete the ornament. The interior of the tower has its own peculiarities. Maxwell explained that after the cold of the winter, when spring arrives, water condenses on the walls, and even draws a little sand out of the mortar. That condensation is what spelled the end for the previous series of photographs that visitors may have remembered during past climbs to the top of the tower. The new photographs are mounted on impervious plastic that will hold up against changes in humidity.
A look at some of Compton Heights' most significant houses, as seen on its annual house tour
The tower and park are still owned by the Water Department, which has given the Preservation Society wide latitude in restoring and rebuilding the elements of what been a beautiful oasis in the middle of the city. Long before I-44 destroyed the northern swath of the park, forcing the relocation ofThe Naked Truth, a celebration of the freedom of the press, the water tower would have afforded views of ponds decorated with flowers and trees. Unfortunately, like much of St. Louis, as depopulation and declining tax revenue forced a general malaise over the city, those elegant ponds dried up, the flowers died and were never replaced, and work crews ripped out those beautiful accoutrements that once bedecked the park, replacing them with more easily maintained concrete.
1 of 2
Courtesy of The Water Tower and Park Preservation Society /City of St. Louis Water Department
Water Tower landscaping.
2 of 2
Courtesy of The Water Tower and Park Preservation Society /City of St. Louis Water Department
The Water Tower waterlily pond.
Enter the Water Tower and Park Preservation Society, which I believe has perfected one of the most successful public/private partnerships with the City of St. Louis. While the Water Department is still technically the owner of Reservoir Park, the Preservation Society has generated remarkable interest and raised considerable capital that has allowed for the restoration and preservation of the original features of the park. While it’s a little too early in the spring, the ponds now feature lush flowers again, partly because the basins were completely repaired and now hold water again. And the long forgotten Naked Truth has been made whole, with the bronze medallions on the front of the monument restored using old photographs. What I also found fascinating was the replacement of two ornate light fixtures attached to the water tower itself; they had mysteriously disappeared long ago, but using the original blueprints, the Preservation Society was able to have them refabricated and reinstalled on the tower. They look fantastic.
The society has future goals; after the Water Department finished tuckpointing the tower last summer, it became clear that some of the decorative elements high up on the edifice will need replacement, so the group will need more donations to complete that task. I strongly encourage my readers to donate to the cause if they are able. The Compton Hill Water Tower and the surrounding park is looking better than ever due to the efforts of the Preservations Society’s volunteers, and there is still more work to be done. In the meantime, come out to the next opening of the tower. Maxwell recommends coming early to enjoy both the sunset and the full moon, and check out the new historic images of this St. Louis icon.
Chris Naffziger writes about architecture at St. Louis Patina. Contact him via email at naffziger@gmail.com.
