Masonry Magazine August 1969 Page. 6
Honor North Point Water Tower
Milwaukee's North Point Water Tower, erected nearly 100 years ago, today became a national landmark of the water works industry. Mayor Henry W. Maier, on behalf of the City of Milwaukee, accepted a bronze plaque which designates the 175-foot-high tower as one of five landmarks chosen this year by the American Water Works Association (AWWA).
Built in 1873 on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, the water tower contains a circular wrought iron standpipe, 130 feet high and 4 feet in diameter, which is enclosed in an exterior structure of cut Niagara limestone. The architect, Charles Gombert, used this means to improve the esthetic appearance of the water tower and to prevent ice from forming in the standpipe during cold weather.
The standpipe was erected to relieve the pressure surges and pulsations which the pumping engines of that era created in the city's water mains. The walking-beam, steam-driven engines were located in the old North Point pumping station below the bluff.
Water levels in the tower would rise and fall as the pump plungers travelled up and down, alternately drawing water from a suction well and forcing it into a 36-inch water main. This helped to absorb the shock transmitted by the pumping engines.
The time-honored water tower was used by the Milwaukee Water Works until 1963, when the old pumping station was replaced with a new structure. Today, the slender, graceful tower and an adjoining fountain serve as the focal points of a park-like setting that has become a summer gathering-place for many residents of Milwaukee.
Official Name Now Interpace
International Pipe & Ceramics Corporation has changed its official and corporate name to Interpace Corp. People, products and addresses will remain the same.