About
|
|
|
Address: 1724 Kenwood Parkway
Neighborhood: Kenwood
Construction Date: 1910
Builder: Chicago Bridge and Iron Works
Architectural Style: Gothic Revival
Historic Use: Public – Water Tower
Current Use: Public - Storage
Date of Local Designation: 1980
Date of National Register Designation: N/A
Area(s) of Significance: Social History
Period of Significance: 1909-1917
Historic Profile: In February of 1910, the Minneapolis City Council adopted a resolution to construct a steel water tank and encircling water tower to alleviate both water pressure and storage problems in the Lowry Hill area. Like the Prospect Park Water Tower, the Kenwood structure is neither the work of a master architect nor representative of a specific 20th-century building style, yet, it is a definite example of architectural historicism. The octagonal brick and stone Kenwood Tower is characterized by projecting ribs, narrow rectangular fenestration, and a Romanesque-arched battlement making it reminiscent of a medieval fortress. While no longer used to store water, in addition to being a distinctive monument, the Kenwood Tower offers a distinct visual focus to an area which is comprised of both residential and park spaces. The Tower adds a mysterious, romantic note to its encompassing hilly, wooded neighborhood and adjacent park system. The late 1970s adaptive reuse proposal to convert the tower into condominiums was defeated by concerned neighborhood groups who believed construction would interfere with its historic integrity.
Photo Credits:
1974, Charles Nelson, courtesy of The Minnesota Historical Society
2006, Minneapolis CPED
Works Cited:
"National Register of Historic Places – Nomination Form," December 1999.
Updated: February 2007