In the City of St. Louis, a glorious monument to an era when function followed beauty rises above some of the city’s most charming and historic neighborhoods. Compton Hill Water Tower, located in Compton Hill Reservoir Park along Grand Avenue, is preserved as a mid-19th century engineering masterpiece. Built in the late-19th century on the highest point in the city it was designed as part of the city’s public water supply system.



One of only seven surviving such towers in the United States (two others are also in St. Louis), it was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1972. It sits in Reservoir Park, flanked by a large, classic statue that celebrates the city’s newspaper heritage, a lily pond and walking paths. The park is always open to the public, while the Tower itself is frequently open for touring. It is owned by the St. Louis Water Division and maintained through the joint efforts of the Division and the Water Tower & Park Preservation Society.