ST PAUL, Minn. — The concept that something with function cannot also exhibit form is blown out of the water in our latest installment of KARE in the Air.
Our drone tour continues its recent focus on memorable water towers with a look at the iconic Highland Tower on the corner of Snelling Ave. and Ford Parkway in St. Paul. Built in 1928 as the population of the city surged, particularly in the Highland Park and Mac-Groveland neighborhoods, the tower juts 127 feet into the air and while operational could hold up to 200,000 gallons of H2O inside a riveted steel-plate tank.
Here's where the "form" part comes in. The Highland Water Tower was designed by Clarence "Cap" Wigington, Minnesota's first registered Black architect and the nation's inaugural Black municipal architect. During his time with the city of St. Paul Wigington oversaw the design of more than 90 new buildings, including the Como Park Pavilion, the Holman Field Admin Building, and the Harriet Island Stone Park Pavilion.
Historic Twin Cities says the tower was built from natural Mankato Kasota Limestone and Bedford stone, with a windowed observation deck that conjures up images of Rapunzel letting her hair down. The structure gently tapers from 40 feet wide at the base to 36 at the top.
Inside the tower is a circular 151-step stairway that winds from the bottom to the top. During its early years, the public regularly used those stairs as the tower was open to the public year-round. These days St. Paul Regional Water Services opens it twice each year, once during the summer for Highland Fest and once in the fall so folks can view the fall colors. This year the tower will be open to the public on Oct. 14 and 15.
The Highland Water Tower is no longer in service but stands as an anchor that ties the present to the past. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
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