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Allen Hazen Water Tower
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	4800 Hickman Rd. Des Moines, Iowa
Coordinates	41°36′51.4″N 93°41′2.1″W / 41.614278°N 93.683917°W / 41.614278; -93.683917
Area	5 acres (2.0 ha)
Built	1930-1931
Architect	Everett & Hazen Clinton Mackenzie
Architectural style	Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	04000819
Added to NRHP	August 11, 2004

The Allen Hazen Water Tower, also known as the Municipal Water Tower, is a historic structure located on the west side of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

History

The first water storage facility in the city of Des Moines was located at Seventeenth and Crocker Streets, and it was completed in 1891. Before it was torn down in 1939, the Allen Hazen Water Tower was completed in 1931. It was designed by New York engineer Clinton Mackenzie of Everett & Hazen. Allen Hazen, one of the partners in the firm and a pioneer in water treatment, was a consulting engineer to the Des Moines Water Works in the 1920s. He also supervised the tower's construction. Hazen died just before construction was completed and the tower was named in his honor. While there are other water storage facilities in Des Moines, this is technically the only water tower in the city. At one time a large arrow was painted on top of the structure to guide pilots to the Des Moines airport.

Architecture

The tower was constructed in concrete and steel. The structure is 110 feet (34 m) tall and holds 1.7 million gallons of water. Everett & Hazen chose the Neoclassical style to reference the waterworks of Ancient Rome. The base is composed of 15 concrete Tuscan columns that support the entablature. The tower's original design had called for 16 columns on the base and a colonnade capped with a concrete parapet that would surround the tank. Other decorative elements that were removed before the tower was built include brackets at the cornice and astragal molding. As completed, the tank is exposed instead of hidden and its lapped joints continue the vertical lines of the columns on the base. An antenna caps the structure, which unites technology and traditionalism.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ Pat Ripley. "Des Moines Water Storage". Des Moines Water Works. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
3. ^ William C. Page. "Allen Hazen Water Tower". National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-09-22. with photo(s)
4. David Gebhard; Gerald Mansheim. "Allen Hazen Water Tower". Archipedia. Retrieved 2019-10-16.

v t e Historic buildings and structures in Des Moines, Iowa
Apartment buildings	Ayrshire Apartments Bryn Mawr Apartments The Elmwood-The Oaks-The Birches Franklin Apartments Hallett Flats–Rawson & Co. Apartment Building Kromer Flats The Lexington The Maine Murillo Flats The New Lawn Norman Apartment Building Plymouth Place
Civic buildings	Des Moines Fire Department Headquarters-Fire Station No. 1 and Shop Building Fire Station No. 4 Iowa Commission for the Blind Building Iowa State Capitol Iowa State Historical Building Municipal Building Polk County Courthouse Public Library of Des Moines United States Courthouse U.S. Post Office
Commercial buildings	American Republic Insurance Company Headquarters Building Apperson-Iowa Motor Car Company Building Argonne Building Baker-Devotie-Hollingsworth Block Burnstein-Malin Grocery D.S. Chamberlain Building Clemens Automobile Company Building Des Moines Building Earle & LeBosquet Block Elliott Furniture Company Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa Building Fleming Building Flynn-Griffin Building Hawkeye Insurance Company Building Hippee Building Hohberger Building Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines Building Homestead Building Hubbell Building Iowa-Des Moines National Bank Building G.W. Jones Building Liberty Building Perry and Brainard Block Register and Tribune Building Seth Richards Commercial Block Rumely-Des Moines Drug Company Building Sargent's Garage Studebaker Corporation Branch Office Building Syndicate Block Teachout Building Walnut Tire and Battery Co.-Globe Publishing Company Building Wherry Block Youngerman Block Younker Brothers Department Store
Education	Abraham Lincoln High School Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School Grand View College (Old Main) Methodist Deaconess Institute—Esther Hall David W. Smouse Opportunity School Theodore Roosevelt High School
Hotels	Hotel Fort Des Moines Hotel Kirkwood Hotel Randolph Northwestern Hotel Savery Hotel
Industrial buildings	Boyt Company Building Crane Building Des Moines Saddlery Company Building Des Moines Western Railway Freight House Firestone District Office and Warehouse Grocers Wholesale Company Building L. Harbach and Sons Furniture Warehouse and Factory Complex Hawkeye Transfer Company Warehouse Herring Motor Car Company Building Iowa Ford Tractor Company Repair and Warehouse Building Mack-International Motor Truck Corporation Building National Biscuit Company Building Schmitt and Henry Manufacturing Company Standard Glass and Paint Company Building Taft-West Warehouse Warfield, Pratt and Howell Company Warehouse
Structures	Court Avenue Bridge Allen Hazen Water Tower Southeast Water Trough Southwest Fifth St. Bridge
Miscellaneous	Des Moines Art Center Fish and Game Pavilion and Aquarium Masonic Temple of Des Moines Scottish Rite Consistory Building
National Register of Historic Places listings in Des Moines, Iowa List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa

• Infrastructure completed in 1931
• Towers completed in 1931
• National Register of Historic Places in Des Moines, Iowa
• Buildings and structures in Des Moines, Iowa
• Neoclassical architecture in Iowa
• Water towers on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa