Eden Park Standpipe

One of the places on my list (probably the next one on my list) when that first camera got itself stolen was Eden Park. I mean, there's the obvious draw, the overlook on the Ohio...

...but for me that's just the start.  I didn't stop at Eden Park with the intention of shooting the Standpipe, but once I saw it, I had to cross the street and get a few more.

I had been aware there was a water tower at Eden Park, in the sense I've heard other people talking about it. I'd never really noticed it from Twin Lakes before, and had definitely never gone over to check it out. Looking over after shooting some ducks and geese, I saw this very unique structure sticking out of the trees.

I was fascinated. I spent a lot of time into castles as a kid (something most little boys can claim in common), so I was drawn to the arrow-slit windows, the battlements on the roof, the spire jutting above the main structure. I had absolute no idea at this point what this was, and spent a few minutes guessing before moving closer.  Part of some eccentric mansion? An observation tower for the army, or an astronomy organization? I did briefly consider "water tower," but had dismissed it because of all the windows--that's a lot of structure for very little holding capacity, it seemed.

I wasn't far off in that deduction, I found out later. The Eden Park water tower wasn't designed to store water--it was designed to regulate water pressure. The water system of the time was steam powered, and massive pressure spikes were a common occurrence. This tower provided an outlet for those spikes that didn't involve destroying water mains, by housing a water shaft in the center of the tower.

Evidently, this was an extremely common situation during the late 1800's and early 1900's. A website specifically about similar towers in St. Louis, Missouri provides more detail on the system, and some cool interior shots.

For more information about the steam engines that powered the Cincinnati water system at the turn of the 20th Century, Cincinnati Triple Steam.org has a wealth of information.

The Eden Park Standpipe was completed in 1894 and is 172 feet tall (supported by this formidable base). The tower was designed by Samuel Hannaford's architecture firm (the same man who designed Cincy's Music Hall and City Hall), and operated until 1916. Some pictures from the era show a copper spire (click here and scroll down to Page 30 to see it), but that's clearly gone now--recycled in one of the many scrap drives during World War Two. Just about all of this comes from a pretty well-cited Wikipedia page on the Standpipe, directly or indirectly.

There are several gargoyles on the Standpipe, including this roaring example here. I have a couple other shots on my Flickr account, such as this one and the two guys below.

I didn't see anything in my research that talked about letting the general public inside for tours, though I'd love to jump on that if the opportunity arose. There was a warning near the door about the dangers of screwing around with an active broadcast transmitter, and I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. Last time I checked, radio burns weren't any fun at all.