Sulphur Springs Water Tower facts for kids
The Sulphur Springs Water Tower is a famous landmark in Tampa, Florida. It stands about 214 feet (65 meters) tall. Its foundation goes 45 feet (14 meters) deep! This makes it easy to see from nearby Interstate 275 and many parts of the Sulphur Springs area. The tower is located in the historic part of Sulphur Springs.
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Why Was the Water Tower Built?
The Sulphur Springs Water Tower was built in 1927. A builder named Grover Poole constructed it for a real estate developer named Josiah S. Richardson.
Richardson wanted to make sure his new buildings had enough water pressure. These buildings included the Sulphur Springs Hotel and Apartments and Mave's Arcade. He built them right next to the natural Sulphur Spring. Richardson had big plans to expand the area into a resort spa and even an alligator farm!
Mave's Arcade was on the first floor of the hotel. It was special because it was the very first shopping mall in Florida!
A Big Challenge for the Tower
To pay for the tower, Richardson used his entire resort as a mortgage. This was worth about $180,000 at the time.
However, in 1933, a big problem happened. A dam built by the Tampa Electric Company collapsed during the Great Depression. This event caused a lot of damage in downtown Tampa. Mave's Arcade was badly damaged, and the businesses there failed. Because of this, Richardson lost everything he owned.
How the Tower Provided Water
From when it was built until 1971, the water tower worked as a private water company. It sent water from an artesian well to homes and businesses nearby. The tower was built right over the opening of this well. The pumps that brought up the water were located right under the tower.
There was another building on the property. It held equipment to clean and add fluoride to the water. In 1971, the City of Tampa made the private company stop providing water. The city wanted its own water utility company to be the only one supplying water to citizens.
Changes Around the Tower
In 1951, a place called the Tower Drive-In theater opened next to the tower. People said that a special aircraft warning light on top of the tower (which is now gone) sometimes made it hard to watch movies.
In the mid-1980s, there were plans to build apartments or condos on the land. The idea was to keep the tower as the main feature. But this project didn't happen. In 1989, the tower got a fresh look! It was cleaned and painted with special "graffiti-proof paint." The paint was donated by Sherwin-Williams Co., and the work was done for free by Service Painting Corp.
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In 2002, a big drugstore chain wanted to build on the site. But many people in the community spoke up against it, and the project was stopped. The City of Tampa then bought the land. In 2005, they put lights on the tower so it could be lit up at night.
Today, the area is called River Tower Park. It has a small one-lane road to get in, but there are no other facilities or a parking lot. There are plans for a River Walkway to pass right under the tower.
How the Tower Was Built
The Sulphur Springs Water Tower is made from poured concrete. Instead of modern steel "rebar" (steel bars used to strengthen concrete), railroad rails were used! The walls of the tower are eight inches (203 mm) thick. The base is extra strong with supports called buttresses, and it sits on solid rock.
Grover Poole, the builder, once wrote: "Concrete was poured into forms that were raised by yokes and jacks -- 10 feet (3 meters) went up a day. The tower rests on rock, has cantilever foundation, and with the buttresses will be rather a difficult job to ever destroy."
When the tower was working, it could hold 200,000 gallons (757,000 liters) of water. This water was pumped up from the nearby artesian springs. The top quarter of the tower held the water tank. The lower three-quarters of the tower had seven floors, with one room on each floor. When it was first built, it even had an electric elevator for people to use!
