Building the Historic Water Tower

Western Springs’ historic water tower was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. And, for more than 125 years, it has been the centerpiece of the village’s downtown. But, how did it get built in the first place?

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. In the 1880’s, our village’s water supply was becoming a major concern. While most of the village’s homes had wells in their own yards, the town was growing and its 500 residents were demanding more modern water service and better fire protection.

So, in 1891, the village board issued special assessment bonds to build an entire water works. This would include a deep well and pump house in what is now Spring Rock Park, as well as 11 miles of water mains, new fire hydrants on each block, and a water tower. The total project cost was $79,119, or approximately $2.1 million in today’s dollars. The tower was to be Romanesque in style and be built on a triangular piece of property on Hillgrove Avenue, which was donated by the Collins family.

Benzette Williams, Edgar Williams, and Ethan Philbrick, all civil engineers and village residents, supervised the project. And, in April 1892, the Village awarded a construction contract to MacRitchie & Nichol Engineers. The specifications called for a structure 112.5 feet tall with a 36.5 foot diameter at its base. The tower was designed to not only hold several days’ worth of water for residents, but also provide sufficient water pressure for distribution and fire hydrants.

The upper portion of the tower was to house a steel tank holding 133,000 gallons of water. The tank was 22 feet in diameter and 43 feet in height. However, unlike most water towers of that era, Western Springs’ design included a provision for village offices. Specifically, the first floor would house the police department, while the magistrate’s court and village offices would be on the 2nd and 3rd floors, respectively.

The first construction challenge was to excavate the site for a foundation and basement. This would eventually accommodate a 12” water main from the Spring Rock Park pumping station, a heating plant for the interior of the tower, pumps, valves, and pipes that would connect the tower to the water mains. The tower would require 156 carloads of stone from the Naperville Stone Company, as well as thousands of red bricks for the upper portion. And, last but not least, the structure would require extensive carpentry work to install the thirteen large lower windows, roof trusses, upper windows. decorative eaves and support brackets.

To build the huge structure, a circular wooden scaffold was erected around the entire site. This was continually built higher as the structure grew skyward. Fortunately, the stone masons were able to use a small steam winch to lift the heavy stone blocks into place. However, each stone block still had to be hand chiseled on site to create the tower’s symmetrical round design.

The chiseling produced thousands of stone chips, which fell to the ground. But, even these served a purpose. The builder would hire local boys to pitch the stones against the base of the tower, thereby providing additional structural strength. That is why you see the 4-foot high berm that surrounds the Tower even today. At its base, the tower was 4.5 feet thick, gradually tapering upward.

The tower was essentially completed in 1892 amid much fanfare. One of the most exciting features of the new tower was a circular interior staircase that went all the way to the top. There, a telescope allowed residents to view the surrounding area from what was then an unheard of height. Unfortunately, in later years a larger water tank had to be installed, resulting in the removal of the upper staircase and telescope.

In 1967, the last village offices were moved from the tower to the current village hall. And, in 1970, the Historical Society moved into the building and opened its local history museum. So, if you are interested in viewing the interior of the tower and the museum collection, drop by any Saturday morning between 10 a.m. and Noon. Admission is free.

Each week, the Western Springs Historical Society presents a “Blast from the Past”. To view prior stories, visit us at www.westernspringshistory.org or just click on the author’s name shown above.