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SAHARA Highlights: Water Towers
Apr 28, 2025
by
By SAHARA Co-Editors Jacqueline Spafford and Jeannine Keefer, and Associate Editor Meral Ekincioglu
Water towers are important components in water systems. They provide potable water, irrigation, water for industry, and/or fire protection. They take on many forms: some are decorative; some are integrated into the design of a complex; and some are strictly functional, making use of materials at hand. But, no matter the age, the material, or the design, there are two common elements: height for hydrostatic pressure (no need for electricity) and a water tank for storage. The following is a small sample of water towers from around the globe.
1. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Polyspheroid Water Tank, Carbondale, IL, 1965. Photograph by G. E. Kidder Smith.
2. Wasserturm (Water Tower), Lucerne, Switzerland, 13th century. Photograph by William Kessler.
-13th-century.jpg?Status=Master&sfvrsn=f275289b_1)
3. Koligan farm house and water tank, Fresno, CA, 1912. Photograph by Jeffrey E. Klee, 2008.
4. Saint Joe Minerals Corporation’s Federal Mine Mill No. 3, Park Hills, MO, 1906. Photograph by Patrick Malone, ca. 2001.
5. William LeBaron Jenny, Riverside [Water Tower], Riverside, IL, designed 1869. Photograph by Dianne Harris. The Water Tower is now part of the Riverside Historical Museum and Water Tower. Riverside was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calver Vaux.
6. Water Tank, Glen Ellen, CA, ca 1910. Photograph by Dell Upton, 1986. A former winery, the property was purchased and restored by Jack London in 1911. He lived there until his death in 1916.
7. Eero Saarinen & Associates; Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates; and Thomas Dolliver Church, General Motors Technical Center, Warren, MI, 1951-1956. Photograph by G. E. Kidder Smith.
8. Ottoman water cistern at Auja el Hafir railway station, Auja el Hafir/Nitzana, Israel, 1900s. Photograph by Maggie Freeman, 2023.
9. Chicago Bridge & Iron Works Company, Port Henry Light, Heat & Power Company Water Tower, Port Henry, NY, 1916. Photograph by Richard Longstreth.
10. Lauwerhof Water Tower, Utrecht, Netherlands, 1895. Photograph by Dell Upton, 2017.
11. Mabwe Pande Water Tower, Mabwe Pande, Tanzania, 1960s or 1970s. Photograph by Michele Tenzon, 2024.
12. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Water Tower, Clanton, AL, 1992. Photograph by Dell Upton, 2006.
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At the center of SAH Celebrates is the Charnley-Persky House (1891–1892), a National Historic Landmark and a Chicago Landmark designed by Louis Sullivan with assistance from Frank Lloyd Wright, that serves as SAH headquarters. SAH Celebrates highlights the importance of fostering a supportive community whose efforts ensure the stewardship of architectural gems like the Charnley-Persky House.
Proceeds benefit the ongoing maintenance and care of the Charnley-Persky House and SAH's educational programs and publications, including SAH Archipedia and Buildings of the United States.
T. Gunny Harboe, FAIA
Founder, Harboe Architects
Michelangelo Sabatino, PhD
Professor, Director of Ph.D. Program in Architecture, Inaugural John Vinci Distinguished Research Fellow, Illinois Institute of Technology
Founder, Harboe Architects
Michelangelo Sabatino, PhD
Professor, Director of Ph.D. Program in Architecture, Inaugural John Vinci Distinguished Research Fellow, Illinois Institute of Technology
Laurence O. Booth, FAIA
Booth Hansen Architects
Rebekah Coffman
Chicago History Museum
Stuart Cohen, FAIA
Cohen-Hacker Architects
Thomas M. Dietz
Alison Fisher
Art Institute of Chicago
Scott Fortman
Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, Chicago-Midwest Chapter
Keith Goad
The Keith Goad Group, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Chicago
Chandra Goldsmith
IIT CoA Board of Advisors
Barbara Gordon
Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy
Eleanor Gorski
Chicago Architecture Center
Stuart Graff
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Julie Hacker, FAIA
Cohen-Hacker Architects
Sarah Herda
Graham Foundation
Harry Hunderman, FAIA
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc
Lisa Key
Driehaus Museum
Nancy and Thomas Klein
SAH Chicago Chapter
Thomas Leslie
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jen Masengarb
AIA Chicago
Bonnie McDonald
Landmarks Illinois
Justin Miller
Docomomo US/Chicago
Ward Miller
Preservation Chicago
Heather Hyde Minor
University of Notre Dame
Keith N. Morgan, FSAH
SAH Past President
Sarah Rogers Morris
University of Illinois at Chicago
John K. Notz Jr.
SAH Benefactor Member
Keith Olsen
Olsen Vranas Architects
Abby Persky
Chicago, IL
Laurie Petersen
Charnley-Persky House Board Member
Charlie Pipal
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Deborah Slaton
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Assocites, Inc.
Cynthia Vranas
Mies Van der Rohe Society
Cynthia Weese, FAIA
Weese, Langley, Weese Architects and Charnley-Persky House Board Member
Ernie Wong
Commission on Chicago Landmarks
Booth Hansen Architects
Rebekah Coffman
Chicago History Museum
Stuart Cohen, FAIA
Cohen-Hacker Architects
Thomas M. Dietz
Jaeger Nickola Kuhlman & Associates
Art Institute of Chicago
Scott Fortman
Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, Chicago-Midwest Chapter
Keith Goad
The Keith Goad Group, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Chicago
Chandra Goldsmith
IIT CoA Board of Advisors
Barbara Gordon
Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy
Eleanor Gorski
Chicago Architecture Center
Stuart Graff
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Julie Hacker, FAIA
Cohen-Hacker Architects
Sarah Herda
Graham Foundation
Harry Hunderman, FAIA
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc
Lisa Key
Driehaus Museum
Nancy and Thomas Klein
SAH Chicago Chapter
Thomas Leslie
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jen Masengarb
AIA Chicago
Bonnie McDonald
Landmarks Illinois
Justin Miller
Docomomo US/Chicago
Ward Miller
Preservation Chicago
Heather Hyde Minor
University of Notre Dame
Keith N. Morgan, FSAH
SAH Past President
Sarah Rogers Morris
University of Illinois at Chicago
John K. Notz Jr.
SAH Benefactor Member
Keith Olsen
Olsen Vranas Architects
Abby Persky
Chicago, IL
Laurie Petersen
Charnley-Persky House Board Member
Charlie Pipal
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Deborah Slaton
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Assocites, Inc.
Chris-Annmarie Spencer, AIA, NOMA
AIA Chicago Foundation
Cynthia Vranas
Mies Van der Rohe Society
Cynthia Weese, FAIA
Weese, Langley, Weese Architects and Charnley-Persky House Board Member
Ernie Wong
Commission on Chicago Landmarks
Download the prospectus for information about sponsorship and advertising opportunities. Please contact Ben Thomas at 312-573-1365 if you have questions.
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SAHARA Highlights: Water Towers
Apr 28, 2025
by
By SAHARA Co-Editors Jacqueline Spafford and Jeannine Keefer, and Associate Editor Meral Ekincioglu
Water towers are important components in water systems. They provide potable water, irrigation, water for industry, and/or fire protection. They take on many forms: some are decorative; some are integrated into the design of a complex; and some are strictly functional, making use of materials at hand. But, no matter the age, the material, or the design, there are two common elements: height for hydrostatic pressure (no need for electricity) and a water tank for storage. The following is a small sample of water towers from around the globe.
1. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Polyspheroid Water Tank, Carbondale, IL, 1965. Photograph by G. E. Kidder Smith.
2. Wasserturm (Water Tower), Lucerne, Switzerland, 13th century. Photograph by William Kessler.
3. Koligan farm house and water tank, Fresno, CA, 1912. Photograph by Jeffrey E. Klee, 2008.
4. Saint Joe Minerals Corporation’s Federal Mine Mill No. 3, Park Hills, MO, 1906. Photograph by Patrick Malone, ca. 2001.
5. William LeBaron Jenny, Riverside [Water Tower], Riverside, IL, designed 1869. Photograph by Dianne Harris. The Water Tower is now part of the Riverside Historical Museum and Water Tower. Riverside was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calver Vaux.
6. Water Tank, Glen Ellen, CA, ca 1910. Photograph by Dell Upton, 1986. A former winery, the property was purchased and restored by Jack London in 1911. He lived there until his death in 1916.
7. Eero Saarinen & Associates; Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates; and Thomas Dolliver Church, General Motors Technical Center, Warren, MI, 1951-1956. Photograph by G. E. Kidder Smith.
8. Ottoman water cistern at Auja el Hafir railway station, Auja el Hafir/Nitzana, Israel, 1900s. Photograph by Maggie Freeman, 2023.
9. Chicago Bridge & Iron Works Company, Port Henry Light, Heat & Power Company Water Tower, Port Henry, NY, 1916. Photograph by Richard Longstreth.
10. Lauwerhof Water Tower, Utrecht, Netherlands, 1895. Photograph by Dell Upton, 2017.
11. Mabwe Pande Water Tower, Mabwe Pande, Tanzania, 1960s or 1970s. Photograph by Michele Tenzon, 2024.
12. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Water Tower, Clanton, AL, 1992. Photograph by Dell Upton, 2006.
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SAHARA Highlights: Water Towers
Apr 28, 2025
by
By SAHARA Co-Editors Jacqueline Spafford and Jeannine Keefer, and Associate Editor Meral Ekincioglu
Water towers are important components in water systems. They provide potable water, irrigation, water for industry, and/or fire protection. They take on many forms: some are decorative; some are integrated into the design of a complex; and some are strictly functional, making use of materials at hand. But, no matter the age, the material, or the design, there are two common elements: height for hydrostatic pressure (no need for electricity) and a water tank for storage. The following is a small sample of water towers from around the globe.
1. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Polyspheroid Water Tank, Carbondale, IL, 1965. Photograph by G. E. Kidder Smith.
2. Wasserturm (Water Tower), Lucerne, Switzerland, 13th century. Photograph by William Kessler.
3. Koligan farm house and water tank, Fresno, CA, 1912. Photograph by Jeffrey E. Klee, 2008.
4. Saint Joe Minerals Corporation’s Federal Mine Mill No. 3, Park Hills, MO, 1906. Photograph by Patrick Malone, ca. 2001.
5. William LeBaron Jenny, Riverside [Water Tower], Riverside, IL, designed 1869. Photograph by Dianne Harris. The Water Tower is now part of the Riverside Historical Museum and Water Tower. Riverside was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calver Vaux.
6. Water Tank, Glen Ellen, CA, ca 1910. Photograph by Dell Upton, 1986. A former winery, the property was purchased and restored by Jack London in 1911. He lived there until his death in 1916.
7. Eero Saarinen & Associates; Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates; and Thomas Dolliver Church, General Motors Technical Center, Warren, MI, 1951-1956. Photograph by G. E. Kidder Smith.
8. Ottoman water cistern at Auja el Hafir railway station, Auja el Hafir/Nitzana, Israel, 1900s. Photograph by Maggie Freeman, 2023.
9. Chicago Bridge & Iron Works Company, Port Henry Light, Heat & Power Company Water Tower, Port Henry, NY, 1916. Photograph by Richard Longstreth.
10. Lauwerhof Water Tower, Utrecht, Netherlands, 1895. Photograph by Dell Upton, 2017.
11. Mabwe Pande Water Tower, Mabwe Pande, Tanzania, 1960s or 1970s. Photograph by Michele Tenzon, 2024.
12. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Water Tower, Clanton, AL, 1992. Photograph by Dell Upton, 2006.
