Raleigh Water Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Raleigh Water Tower
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | 115 W. Morgan St., Raleigh, North Carolina |
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| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1887 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000625 |
| Added to NRHP | December 16, 1971 |
The Raleigh Water Tower is a really old and important building in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the very first water tower ever built in the city, way back in 1887. The city used this tower for 37 years to help provide water to everyone. It stopped being used for water in 1924.
For a long time, the building was the main office for the North Carolina group of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). More recently, it was sold and is now used by different businesses. The Raleigh Water Tower is a special place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. This means it's recognized as a very important historic site. It is also a Raleigh Historic Landmark. You can find it in the Capitol Area Historic District.
The Story of the Raleigh Water Tower
Before this tower was built, most people in Raleigh got their water from private wells or cisterns. In the 1880s, people started to worry about water quality. So, the city decided to build a new system to get clean water for everyone.
A private company helped set up this new water system. Water was taken from Walnut Creek. It traveled through pipes from a dam to a nearby pumping station. Big steam pumps pushed the water through special sand filters to clean it. After cleaning, the water went into a reservoir or through pipes to the water tower downtown.
A huge tank, holding 100,000 gallons of water, sat on top of the tower. The tower itself has eight sides, making it an octagon shape. There was also a two-story building attached to the tower that held offices. A separate building behind the tower was used as a maintenance shop.
As the city of Raleigh grew, more and more water was needed. By the early 1900s, the water system was serving the whole city. In 1913, the city bought the entire water facility. They built a bigger dam upstream to get even more water. By 1924, the old water tower was no longer needed, and its big water tank was taken down.
In 1938, a Raleigh architect named William Henley Deitrick bought the tower. He turned the old tower into his architecture office. He removed the large wooden columns that used to hold up the water tank. Then, he created four floors inside the tower. He also connected the tower to the building behind it with a pretty walled garden courtyard.
Local architects called the building "The Tower." It became a popular meeting spot for them. Many important building plans, like those for Dorton Arena, were worked on and finished there. In 1963, the tower was given to the North Carolina chapter of the AIA. They promised to take care of the historic building. The AIA fixed up the site in the 1990s and used it as their main office for many years.
Who Owns the Tower Now?
In 2010, the water tower was sold to a law firm. They made sure to keep the outside of the building looking the same. This is important because it's a historic landmark.
Later, in 2012, another law firm moved into the building behind the Water Tower. The tower itself was then used as the main office for the company that manages Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q restaurants. This is a very popular local food spot in North Carolina.
In January 2019, a fun new business called Tower Escapes opened at the Raleigh Water Tower. They created escape room games, and two of these exciting rooms are actually inside the historic tower!
