Name: Bissell (New Red) Water Tower Address: Bissell and Blair Avenues Year: 1886 Architectural Firm/Architect: William S. Eames Property Type Codes: Tower, water Dimensions: 206 feet high Designation: City Landmark, National Register of Historic Places, History: The Bissell ("New Red") Tower, the Grand ("Old White") Tower, and the Compton Hills Tower, are three of seven remaining water towers in the country. Once there were 500. Built in 1885-1886, the Bissell ("New Red") Tower was designed by William S. Eames in the form of a Moorish minaret. There are nine doorways leading into a space containing an iron standpipe and a spiral staircase. At the top is a look-out platform. It was renovated in 1913. There was an attempt in 1958 to raze it, but it was halted by a group of nostalgic citizens led by Donald Gunn, president of the board of aldermen. It fell into dangerous disrepair and, in 1962, there was another effort to tear it down. An investigation showed that restorating the tower would not be significantly more expensive than razing it. Restored, it is an important landmark for North St. Louis. |
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