Compton Hill Reservoir Park and Tower
When I set up my weekly Friday series St. Louis in Pictures, I knew there would be times when I wouldn’t be able to stick to the schedule. A week ago, I was in the middle of volunteering at a summer camp providing opportunities for low-income kids in Lesterville, MO. I worked really long days and only had the ability to get on the internet late at night, and by then I just didn’t have the energy to put together the weekly post.
While I did miss my weekly Friday post, I did highlight the camp after I returned to show of some of the pictures I took while I was there.
The week away from the office left me bombarded when I returned, and I spent all week focusing on our real estate clients. So while today’s post is a couple of days late, I figure that clients come first and you’ll understand.
In the future, I’ll do my best to stay on schedule so stop in each Friday to see some of the pictures I’ve taken in my explorations around town.
Compton Hill Reservoir Park:
I’ve driven by the Compton Hill Reservoir Park and Tower more times than I can count. This summer, I finally stopped the car and took a walk around with my camera.
The history of the reservoir and tower is fascinating. Not only did the original reservoir have a concrete top with tennis courts on top, but the water tower was constructed simply to camouflage an ugly pipe.
The beautiful Compton Hill Water Tower is really just a brick enclosure around a huge pipe.
In the late 1890s, the population of St. Louis was growing so fast that it was causing problems for the water delivery system. The pumps used to send water through the city created dangerous surges in pressure, making pipes rattle and shake.
In an effort to equalize water pressure, a 5 foot wide, 100 foot tall standpipe was installed. For cosmetic appeal, the structure we now call the Compton Hill Water Tower was built in 1899 to camouflage the standpipe.
The day when I stopped by the park the tower was closed. From July through November, the tower is open monthly on a Saturday afternoon and full moon evenings. I’ll be planning a return visit to climb the tower soon.
Here are some of the pictures from my visit.
Reservoir Park overlooking Grand Blvd
Reservoir
Top of the Tower
Compton Hill Tower
You can see more pictures on my Flickr page.
Compton Hill Reservoir Park and Tower sits just south of portions of the St. Louis University campus and a few blocks from the vibrant S. Grand business district and Tower Grove Park.
Affordable homes surround the park in the Compton Hill community and 63104 zip code. The subdivision of Compton Heights, just south of the park, offers grand homes that rival the mansions in more exclusive parts of town at a fraction of the price.
See current homes for sale in Compton Heights and the 63104 zip code.
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