North Point Tower #1

The iconic North Point Tower on the bluff above Lake Michigan is symbolic of 144 years of service by Milwaukee’s water utility. It was part of the... more

by Randy Scherkenbach

Title

North Point Tower #1

Artist

Randy Scherkenbach

Medium

Photograph

Description

The iconic North Point Tower on the bluff above Lake Michigan is symbolic of 144 years of service by Milwaukee’s water utility. It was part of the first Milwaukee Water Works in 1874 that began pumping lake water and later provided treated drinking water. The tower is actually a decorative cover over an open standpipe that absorbed pulsations of water from steam engines in the pumping station below the hill. Electricity replaced steam in 1963 and the standpipe was no longer used. The fanciful and charming Victorian Gothic style structure was designed by architect Charles A. Gombert. The design is similar to the Chicago Water Tower, but the Milwaukee tower is four years younger and 21 feet taller at 175 feet. The tower is executed in cream-colored Wauwatosa cut limestone, its rock-faced walls backed with Milwaukee Cream City Brick and trimmed with dressed limestone. A three-year exterior and interior restoration was completed in June 2018

Uploaded

October 7th, 2018