Think of a city and chances are you’ll have an image in your mind of its skyline, or its most prominent buildings. In the case of Fresno, you might think of the Pacific Southwest building downtown. Maybe the neon clad Tower Theater. Or the historic Fresno Water Tower. It’s one of the city's oldest and most recognized landmarks. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, we dig into the story behind its creation.
Fresno was a young town back in 1894, a little over 20 years old. Just like today, a reliable water supply was critical to the city’s future. That’s why it was a big deal when the privately run Fresno Water Company opened a new pumping plant and water tower at Fresno and O Streets. They sought out one of the top architects of the era to design the tower – Chicago’s George Washington Maher. He was a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright, and one of the key players in the emerging arts and crafts movement.
Maher designed a 100-foot tower of brick and stucco with an American Romanesque exterior, beneath a steel tank. It's modeled after the medieval architecture of the water tower in the City of Worms, Germany, which despite its rustic design, is only four years older than Fresno’s. Maher designed the upper floors to house a library – a plan that was never realized. The water system was eventually acquired by the City of Fresno in 1931, and the tower remained in continuous service all the way until 1959.
Today the tower is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is an iconic part of the city’s skyline and heritage.
