Constructed in 1887, the Raleigh Water Tower was the first water tower built in the city and served for 37 years. For 37 years the City of Raleigh relied on this tower until it was decommissioned in 1924, a quiet witness to the city’s move from private wells and cisterns toward a municipal system. In the 1880s that municipal system drew water from Walnut Creek; a private company carried water from a dam by pipes to a nearby pumping station, and steam pumps forced it through sand filters — the practical work that made a tower like this necessary.
This building has worn many roles since its original service. It once served as headquarters for the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It is a Raleigh Historic Landmark, located in the Capitol Area Historic District. More recently it was sold to the law firm of Shirley & Adams; Shirley & Adams leased the tower to the franchise management company for Smithfield’s Chicken ’N BBQ, while Gammon, Howard & Zeszotarski, PLLC occupies the former firehouse at the back of the property. The former firehouse and the streets that frame it wait beside the tower above you.