Eber’s water towers 2001

The leading trade journal in Sweden, VA-tidskriften Cirkulation has since 1998 an article series under the heading Ebers vattentorn (Eber’s water towers), where Eber Ohlsson with text and photo presents interesting water towers in the world (except Scania and Sweden). Below is a free translation to English of these texts.


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 1/2001

A free translation to English:

Bingo! perhaps the building workers shouted, when they got the last steel segment on its place on the water tower construction in the gambling city Atlantic City. The city is located in the federal state New Jersey, 200 kilometres south New York City. The tower holding 2 million gallons water (circa 7 500 m³) and get as most up to the level 38 meter above the Atlantic. The bottom of the tower standing is though on the level 3 meter, it is not high, but so is the city situated on a barrier island.

The steel tower is constructed by Elam Associates and built 1998 by Pitts-Des Moines Inc and stood finish to operation 1999. The water tower is nowadays painted as a hot-air balloon, with vertical colour fields and with a tower shaft painted as a gondola, with aeronauts and the whole.

It was Jeff Elam that proposed the idea and got the work of art on its place. Tall as four man of the tower-shaft is protected against graffiti, and that is luckily, because it is unnecessary to hazard the damage risk of the tower even in the gambling city Atlantic City.

Published 2001-02-14


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 2/2001

A free translation to English:

The Gothic was the architecture style that set the tone in the north German Medieval towns. What could be more natural to the self-assured towns than to be inspired of this Gothic, when they a century ago should build up the public services? The north German Gothic church with its high spire got their imitator in the new technical era’s new Gothic water towers with pinnacles, as in the hanseatic city Rostock in Mecklenburg, Germany.

Here stand since 1903 a water tower made of bricks in pattern style with seven stepped gables and with blind windows, all rest on a base of granite. It was Stadbaudirektor Dehn that designed the 60 meter high water tower with a diameter of 18 meters in the base.

The tower was holding a reservoir on 800 m³ water until it was out of operation 1959. After a restoration is the tower now a historic building and house a city museum warehouse, and in the ground floor also a meeting-place for children and disables.

Published 2001-03-21


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 3/2001

A free translation to English:

Reservoirs on only 25 m³ water, will normal not create a magnificent water tower. But so is not either the Bismarck tower at the heights in the north-western Stuttgart in Germany a usually water tower. It was built 1904 to honour the some year’s earlier deceased founder of the German Reich, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Architect for the 20 meter high tower in sandstone was the professor from Dresden, W. Kreis.

Obviously has the altar-like stone pile with its altitude over the capital of Württemberg worked as a belvedere, but on the top has there even burnt midsummer fires.

It was however not the need to put out these fires, but more the need to get a better water pressure for the nearby residential districts, that done that they the year 1928 made a water reservoir in the monument. The limited reservoir volume gave a small surface of water on only 4,5 x 2,5 meter, a surface of water that however get up to the height 426 meter over the sea.

Published 2001-04-27


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 4/2001

A free translation to English:

A high situated house with a perfect view and there the trees not shadow. That is the impression you get when you observe the 26 meter high water tower in the Garching b. München [Munich] in Germany, a town north of the Bavarian metropolis agglomeration.

The water tower, with a quadratic base on 5,4 meter, was built in reinforced concrete and equipped with a reservoir on 63 m³. The architect is unknown, but the tower was designed in 1909 and was finished in December 1911, with everything under control by the Königlich Bayerishes Wasserversorgungsbüro [Royal Bavarian Office of Water Supply].

The water tower was out of operation 1961, as the wells in Garching had been polluted. Instead get the customers now there’s water direct from the Munich main water system. The tower is since 1981 protected as an industrial heritage, and was restored 1988 in connection with that the reservoir was scraped.

Discussions continue now on what manner the tower shall be used. If it will be an apartment, must doubtless the guests be prevent to walk out on the terrace.

Published 2001-06-13


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 5/2001

A free translation to English:

A struggle is going on concerning a Victorian water tower in the English city Colchester. The city is founded by Romans and situated in the Essex County less than 100 kilometres north-east London. The group that wants to preserve the water tower in its original form is calling their campaign “Save Jumbo for Colchester”.

The name Jumbo, named after an elephant in the London Zoo, got the tower already from the birth 1883. The 40 meter high tower, built by 1,2 millions bricks and holding a cast iron reservoir on 1 000 m³ cost at that time 11 000 £. The tower was put out of operation 1987 by the Anglian Water, and sold to new exploiter for 100 000 £.

The struggle is now between owner that wants a commercial rebuilding and a campaign group that want that the tower get a function dignified its history and will be accessible to the public. The picture of the tower is from 1983; at that time had the writer no knowledge of the 100 year’s jubilee.

Published 2001-08-29


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 6/2001

A free translation to English:

A vane on a water tower that demonstrate a bodily exacting water collection, can perhaps be one moment to point out the advantage of the tower. When the architect/constructor of the tower is unknown, can it only be speculations of the reasons to that the vane on the tower on Buöy in Stavanger, Norway demonstrate how a boy, with a classic water pump, are pumping up water in a old woman’s bucket.

The water tower in reinforced concrete, that was built 1920 in connection with the establishing of an engineering workshop on the island, has a height of 23 meter, included the vane. The tower had a reservoir volume on 170 m³ and a highest water level on +48 meter, before it got out of operation 1955, the year when Buöy got water from the centre of Stavanger.

Three years after that the picture was taken, was the tower restored completely, both of historic reasons and because that the tower is a landmark in the town. The old iron vane was at that time even take down and compensated with a copy in more resistant material.

Published 2001-10-03


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 7/2001

A free translation to English:

Cuxhaven is the last hope to reach its own boat, for the sailor that is left astern in Hamburg (90 kilometres in taxi, which certainly some old engine-men at water works know). The town is of course home port to the pilots of the Elbe River outflow. Should the sailor miss the boat, and still want to have his hammock under the water line, can he perhaps set his hope to the water tower in the town.

Here are four apartments under the 950 m³ large reservoir. The 48 meter high water tower was built 1897, and is a work by the firm Hoffmann in Berlin. On the top are there a spire with a gilt ball, and a vane formed as a dolphin.

When the roof was renovated 1967 found they that the workers had completed the official documents, that was placed in the ball, with own papers. The papers are today valuable social documents. The tower is still in operation, but now as a historic building.

Published 2001-11-07


Eber’s water towers in Cirkulation 8/2001

A free translation to English:

On an island, surrounded by the next largest river in Europe, is there since 1911 standing a water tower in concrete. From the belvedere of the octagonal water tower on the Margaret Island is there a good view in all directions over the Hungarian capital Budapest. The tower is 55 meter high, and had a reservoir on 502 m³ and a highest water level on 40 meter before it was out of order circa 1960.

The tower is designed by Doctor Zielinski Szilárd. He’s pencil has even sign drawings to other water towers at that time. Under the Second Word War was the tower heavily damaged, but is restored and is now protected by the UNESCO.

In the entrance of the tower is there a marble tablet that in gold letters state technical facts, among other things the indication of heights related to both the Danube and the Adriatic Sea, which indicate that the Hungary before the Treaty of Trianon was a considerable larger country. The island is an oasis to the people of Budapest; there it is possible to both slacken the thirst and to visit outdoor swimming-pools with water from mineral-rich springs of the island.

Published 2001-12-12


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