Adventure 051, Site 030 – Fresno Water Tower

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 051, Site 030 – Fresno Water Tower

National Registry ID: 1971000139

Local Registry ID: 1

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date:  September 16, 2012

Location:

Latitude: 36°44′21″N

Longitude: 119°47′11″W

Address: 2444 Fresno St, Fresno, CA

Description:

Date Built: 1894

Architect: George Washington Maher

This is the premier landmark of Fresno. It has played prominently in the travel advertising for Fresno, as well as a TV Mini-series called Fresno, staring Carol Burnett and Tim Conway.



George Washington Maher, a Chicago architect, was commissioned to design Fresno's water tower in 1891. Completed in 1894, it was in constant use until 1963, when the pumping machinery was no longer adequate. The original design called for a library on the second and third floors, but it was never installed. For several years the first floor was used as a parking meter repair facility. In 2001 the second floor was removed and the interior of the tower remodeled to become the visitors' center for the City and County of Fresno. As part of this remodeling a landscaped plaza and separate restroom building were built adjacent to the tower. The water tower today remains Fresno's most distinctive and enduring architectural symbol.



References:

• Guide to Historic Fresno
  
• Noehill
  

Overall Landmark References:

• David Schmitt's California State Historical Landmark (Schmitt)
  
• Wikipedia: California's National Landmarks (WCNL)
  
• State of California's California Historical Landmarks (CHL)
  
• Wikipedia: California State Landmarks (WCSL)
  
• State of California Historical Resources (CHR)
  
• National Registry of Historical Places (NRHP)