Downtown in Gary in Lake County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Jefferson Park Water Tower
Photographed By Lou Donkle, July 30, 2022
1. Jefferson Park Water Tower Marker
Shortly after the city's founding by U.S. Steel in 1906, the Gary Heat, Light, and Water Company constructed the utilities necessary for tens of thousands of new residents and businesses. The company hired civil engineer John W. Alvord of Chicago. He drew on his experiences observing waterworks around the world and supplying water for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in order to capture the fresh water of Lake Michigan nearly three miles away.
The centerpiece of the waterworks was a Beaux-Arts pumphouse that no longer stands, and the 133-foot water tower on Gary's westside that still stands.
Completed in 1909, the tower's tank measured 30 feet in diameter and sat on eight 90-foot steel columns. Rather than settling for an exposed steel skeleton, the Gary Heat, Light, and Water Company added a concrete block shell that transformed the utilitarian tower into an octagonal landmark, complete with decorative cornice and parapet wall.
The waterworks buildings became the centerpiece of the surrounding Jefferson Park, Gary's first public park. In 1911, the city lit a fire atop the tower in the hour leading up to the July 4 fireworks, signaling the radically transformed landscape. Indiana American Water Company continues to use the site and tower, now one of the earliest structures on the
this page online
Constructed 1909
Civil Engineer John W. Alvord
Erected by Knight Foundation, Legacy Foundation, Decay Devils, Gary Indiana, Indiana Landmarks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.
Location. 41° 36.266′ N, 87° 20.16′ W. Marker is in Gary, Indiana, in Lake County. It is in Downtown. Marker is at the intersection of East 4th Avenue (U.S. 12/20) and Broadway, on the right when traveling west on East 4th Avenue. Marker is in East Gateway Park mounted on the South Shore Line retaining wall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Broadway, Gary IN 46402, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Ambassador Apartments (here, next to this marker); Horace Mann (here, next to this marker); Gary Public Library (within shouting distance of this marker); City Methodist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Emerson (within shouting distance of this marker); Gary Land Company Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Memorial Auditorium (within shouting distance of this marker); Gary’s First Schoolhouse (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gary.
Also see . . .
Photographed By Lou Donkle, July 30, 2022
2. Marker located with several others on the South Shore Line retaining wall
The surprise demolition of Gary’s historic water tower is a painful lesson and an opportunity for the city to engage in serious conversations about saving and revitalizing its historic places.(Submitted on June 25, 2023, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana.)
Photographed By Lou Donkle, September 14, 2019
3. View of water tower from Jefferson Park
Photographed By Lou Donkle
4. View of water tower during a preservation tour
Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2023, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana. This page has been viewed 183 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 25, 2023, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
