Waldo Water Tower (Kansas City, Missouri) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Waldo Water Tower
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Waldo Water Tower, March 2010
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 Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
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| Location | 75th St. and Holmes Rd., Tower Park, Kansas City, Missouri |
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| Built | 1920 |
| Architect | Tifft Const. Co. |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000810 |
| Added to NRHP | April 18, 1977 |
The Waldo Water Tower, officially named the Frank T. Riley Memorial, is a cool, white tower that looks like a castle. You can find it in the Waldo neighborhood of south Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. It's a famous landmark in the area!
About the Waldo Water Tower
This tower was built in 1920 and worked as a real water tower until 1957. It held a lot of water for the city! For many years, from 1929 to 1946, the tower was even shown in the World Book Encyclopedia. It was used as an example of how strong and useful reinforced concrete could be. Reinforced concrete is a special type of concrete that has steel bars inside it, making it extra strong.
In 1975, the American Water Works Association named it Missouri's first American and Canadian Water Landmark. This means it's an important historical site related to water. The tower is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes buildings, sites, and objects that are important in American history.
Tower Features
The Waldo Water Tower is very tall, standing about 134 feet (41 m) high. It has 12 sides, making it a unique shape. The walls are very thick, about 18 inches (460 mm) wide, which helped it hold a lot of water. The tower could hold a huge amount of water, about 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800,000 L; 830,000 imp gal)!
At the very top, the tower has cool castle-like decorations called crenellations. These are the notched parts you see on old castle walls. There are also 12 arched windows near the top. The whole tower was built very quickly using a special method called a "14-day continuous pour." This means the concrete was poured without stopping for 14 days straight!
Tower Updates
Over the years, the tower has seen some changes. At one point, a hole was made near the bottom of the tower on its west side. You can still see where this hole was. Today, a chain-link fence with barbed wire protects the tower. This helps keep it safe from people who might try to climb it or cause damage.
In 2015, the Kansas City Council decided to give the tower a major update. They set aside $850,000 to renovate it. This money helps keep the historic tower looking great for everyone to enjoy.
