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Location: Grand Avenue on the west; I-44 on the north; Russell Boulevard on the south and Compton Hill Place on the east.
Ordinance Date: 1867
Size: 35.80 Acres
Acquired by Water Department
Cost:$100,000
Plant A Memorial Tree In Compton Reservoir Park
The Compton Hill Water Tower stands like a shinning beacon. At 180 feet, the water tower dominates South Grand Boulevard and serves as a source of pride and identity for the surrounding neighborhoods.
At night it can be seen from many areas of the city. The Water Tower is clearly the dominate feature of Compton Hill Reservoir Park.
But the park is not named for the Water Tower. Built in 1899, it is a new edition to the park that was built as the home of the city's water reservoir in 1867.
The Water Reservoir
Early settlers preferred river water to wells and in 1829, they contracted with John L.
Wilson and Abraham Fox to supply "clarified water" to the city by means of reservoirs
and a system of six inch cast iron pipes. Since 1835, when Fox sold his company, St.
Louis has owned and operated its own waterworks.
One of the highest locations within the city limits of 1855, this land was chosen as the
site of the principal city reservoir in 1867 by James P. Kirkwood, who was then the
chief engineer of the Water Department. It comprised about 40 acres and was acquired
at a cost of $191,900. Although the reservoir itself occupied only about 18 acres of the
block, the remainder was suggested by Kirkwood to be used as a park.
The problem of mud sediment in the storage reservoirs was solved in 1870 when a new
waterworks system at Bissell's Point was put into operation. To supply South Saint
Louis, water was pumped five miles to the new Compton Hill storage reservoir.
Built 834 feet long, 501 feet wide and 22 feet deep, it cost $290,445 and has a
capacity of 60 million gallons. The large reservoir wall was designed by Guy Study. The arrangement of steps and wall fountains is in the manner of those in the gardens of Italian villas. Two bronze tablets on either side of the steps on the west wall give all of the historic information about the reservoir.
During the 1930s, the reservoir was covered with a concrete roof upon which tennis courts were placed in use until World War II. Balustrades and two large fountain basins on either side were added the following year and the massive head by architects Roth and Study was designed in the west retaining wall.
During the next 50 years, the reservoir began to deteriorate. In 1995, city officials faced the difficult decision of demolishing,replacing or restoring the water tower and reservoir.
After months of studying and several public hearings, a $19 million renovation began.
The Water Division built two new 14 million gallon precast/prestressed concrete water storage reservoirs, one in the north cell and one in the south cell. The existing roof slab and columns were removed and permanent doors were added. The perimeter wall was replaced with new concrete panels similar in architectural style to the original construction. The chainlink fence and the rails on top of the existing reservoir were removed. Stairs leading from the top of the berm to the top of the reservoir were removed. All lighting was replaced and new plants were installed.
The Water Tower
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. It cost $48,000.
Built from a design by George Mann, it is a French Romanesque style of rusticated limestone, buff brick and terra cotta color on its facades. A griffin carved in limestone and vine like scrolls on the base carry the themes of the structure into its details. Inside, iron steps spiral around the standpipe. On the top of the tower, under a bell-shaped roof of terra cotta tiles, is an observation deck offering a 360-degree view of St. Louis city. It quickly became a favorite spot to view the city.
The comparably high elevation of the area allowed the water tower and reservoir to distribute approximately 56 million gallons of water by means of gravity to the City east of Grand Boulevard.
When the Stacy Park Reservoir went into service in 1929, the Compton Hill Tower was retired, but the reservoir remained in operation. Although the Compton Hill standpipe was no longer needed, the tower was occasionally opened to the public for tours. Visitors could climb the interior stairs to the observation room near the top and get one of the best views of the city.
The Compton Hill Tower was declared a city landmark in 1966, added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1972.
Over the years, the tower began to experience deterioration. The steel staircase within its interior began to weather, as well as the stone work and roofing structure. However, the tower had to be closed to the public in 1984 when it was discovered that asbestos surrounded the metal tank in the tower's core. For more than ten years the water tower stood untouched and deterioration took over. Asbestos as exposed, large cracks were forming, windows were
missing or broken, and the terra cotta roof needed repairs.
A total renovation of the water tower started in 1995. Improvements included: the removal of asbestos from the interior piping; repair/replacement of the damaged stone masonry; sandblasting and painting of the structural steel; tuckpointing and the installation of support mechanisms and decking.
The renovation was completed in April, 1999. The completion of the tower were celebrated with a festival that included music, food, entertainment, and tours of the tower.
The Naked Truth
The statue called "The Naked Truth," designated a city landmark in 1969, was controversial before it was even built. It is a memorial to Dr. Emil Preetorius, Carl Schurz and Carl Daenzer, German-American editors of the St. Louis Westliche Post. Adolphus Busch was the major donor, giving $20,000 of the $31,000 cost.
A jury selected a design by sculptor Wilhelm Wandschneider of Berlin. Busch was appalled by the jury’s selection and the controversy over the nudity in the statue prompted great debates. The sculptor refused Busch’s request that the figure be draped.
The jury voted 14 to 12 to accept the original design but said the nude figure should be made of a material other than white marble, to de-emphasize the nudity. The figure is made of bronze.
The statue is a nude figure of a woman seated on a stone bench with arms
outstretched, holding torches. The figure symbolizes "Truth" and the torches are for the
"enlightenment of Germany and the United States." The figure of Truth is of bronze in
heroic size. The eyes are painted as in some bronze figures of the Greeks and as in
many modern German statues. The inscription on the back of the shaft in
incised lettering expressing the devotion of German-American citizens to the country of
their adoption. This inscription is repeated in German.
The memorial was a gift to St Louis by the German-American Alliance and was unveiled on May 27, 1914.
Construction of Interstate 44 in 1969 reduced the area of Compton Hill Reservoir Park by about one-fourth and necessitated the relocation of the controversial "Naked Truth" statue. It was moved by the Klaric Construction Company at a cost of $15,000.
On August 6, 1961, the Water Division turned over the maintenance of the surrounding park to the Parks Department.
 Official Web Site of the City of St. Louis
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