North Point Water Tower

At the foot of East North Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Victorian Gothic Water Tower on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, encloses an iron standpipe.

Photos

Overview Looking West

The North Point Water Tower has been a fixture of Milwaukee's East Side since 1873.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning

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Map

Coordinates:
+43.05970, -87.87986
43°03'35" N, 87°52'47" W

Quadrangle map:
Milwaukee

Street View

Overview.

Description

"Part of the complex erected for the Milwaukee Water Works almost one hundred years ago, the lofty Victorian Gothic Water Tower stands on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and encloses an iron standpipe that originally served to relieve city water mains of pulsations from pumping engines housed in the lake-front pumping station. Modern equipment has made the facility unnecessary, but tower and standpipe have remained, little altered through the years. Long a notable feature of the city's skyline and often praised for its beauty, the Water Tower has recently been accorded official landmark status by the Milwaukee Landmarks Commission and the American Water Works Association." ~ Statement of Significance, HABS/HAER Report July 15, 1969

National Register information

Status: Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1973
Reference number: 73000088
Architectural style: Victorian: Gothic
Areas of significance: Engineering; Architecture
Level of significance: Local
Evaluation criteria: C - Design/Construction
Property type: Structure
Historic function: Public works
Period of significance: 1850-1874
Significant years: 1873; 1874

Update Log

March 29, 2013: New photos from J.R. Manning
June 27, 2011: Updated by J.R. Manning: Updated Description
October 2, 2010: New photos from J.R. Manning
July 1, 2010: New Street View added by Nathan Holth

Sources

Nathan Holth
J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
HABS WI-249 - North Point Water Tower
National Register database - Reference number 73000088