Western Springs’ historic water tower was built in 1892. But, have you ever considered the other designs our village might have chosen?

In 1890, Western Springs’ population had reached 451, at which time the village fathers decided that the public’s continued reliance on individually owned water wells was not practical for a growing town. So, they hired Benzette Williams, Edgar Williams, and Ethan Philbrick, all of whom were civil engineers and village residents, to design a water system for the village, including the historic water tower.

In 1892, the project was completed at a cost of $79,000, or about $2 million in 2012 dollars. The resulting water tower was constructed of stone and brick, measuring 112.5 feet high and 36.5 feet in diameter at its base.

But, have you ever considered that another design could have been chosen? If so, a sampling of other water towers from the late 1800s and early 1900s suggests that our downtown ambiance might have been quite different.

Water Tower, Beloit, WI

Water Tower, Brooks Catsup, Collinsville, IL

Water Tower, Chicago, IL

Water Tower, Compton Hill, St. Louis, MO

Water Tower, Ear of Corn, Rochester, MN

Water Tower, Ft. Thomas, KY

Water Tower, Havana, IL

Pineapple Water Tower, Honolulu, Hawaii

Water Tower, Paxton, IL

Water Tower, Riverside, IL

Water Tower, St. Clair County, MI

Water Tower, Sun Prairie, WI

Water Tower, Ypsilanti, MI

While each of these designs is impressive and has its architectural strong points, also consider the following as they might have appeared on the Tower Green.

In my opinion, our village was very fortunate with its water tower selection. In fact, in 1981 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as one of the few such structures that had also housed the offices of local government. While the tower has not been used for water storage or village offices since the 1960s, it continues to serve as a museum managed by the Western Springs Historical Society.