Sulphur Springs Water Tower facts for kids
The Sulphur Springs Water Tower is a famous landmark in Tampa, Florida. It stands tall at 214 feet (65 m), which is about as high as a 20-story building! Its deep foundation makes it easy to spot from nearby Interstate 275 and much of the historic Sulphur Springs area.
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History of the Sulphur Springs Tower
Building the Tower in 1927
The water tower was built in 1927 by Grover Poole. It was for a man named Josiah S. Richardson. He was a realtor and developer. Mr. Richardson wanted to provide good water pressure for his new buildings. These included the Sulphur Springs Hotel and Apartments and Mave's Arcade. He had big plans to make the area a popular resort. Mave's Arcade was Florida's very first shopping mall!
Mr. Richardson used a lot of money to build the tower. He borrowed $180,000, which was a huge amount back then. Sadly, in 1933, a big flood caused by a dam breaking damaged the arcade. Many businesses closed, and Mr. Richardson lost everything.
The Tower's Role as a Water Supplier
From when it was built until 1971, the tower was a private water company. It pumped fresh water from underground springs to homes and businesses nearby. The tower is actually built right over one of these natural springs! In 1971, the City of Tampa decided to take over. They wanted to be the only company providing water to citizens. So, the private water company had to stop operating.
Changes and Restoration Over Time
In 1951, a drive-in movie theater opened next to the tower. Later, in the mid-1980s, there were plans to build apartments around the tower. The tower would have been the main feature, but this project did not happen.
Good news came in 1989! The tower was cleaned and painted. It got a special "graffiti-proof" paint job. This was a big effort by many people and companies.
In 2002, a large drugstore wanted to build on the site. But people in the community spoke up, and the project was stopped. The City of Tampa then bought the land. In 2005, they added lights to make the tower glow at night. Today, the area is called River Tower Park. It has a small parking lot and a walkway that connects it to Sulphur Springs Park.
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How the Sulphur Springs Tower Was Built
Strong Construction Materials
The Sulphur Springs Water Tower is made from strong, poured concrete. Builders even used old railroad rails inside the concrete. These rails acted like "rebar" to make it extra strong. The walls are eight inches (200 mm) thick. The base is wider and sits on solid rock.
Building It Tall
The builder, Grover Poole, explained how they built it. They poured concrete into special molds. These molds were then lifted higher each day. About 10 feet (3.0 m) of the tower went up every day! Mr. Poole said it would be very hard to ever destroy the tower because of its strong design.
Water Storage and Inside the Tower
When the tower was working, it could hold 200,000 gallons of water! This water was pumped up from nearby artesian springs. The top quarter of the tower is where the huge water tank is. The bottom three-quarters of the tower have seven floors, with one room on each floor. When it was first built, it even had an electric elevator to go up and down!
