Louisville Water Tower is one year into $7 million restoration

The Louisville Water Tower is the oldest ornamental water tower in the United States.
Published: Jun. 6, 2023 at 4:30 PM EDT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The Louisville Water Tower is the oldest ornamental water tower in the United States. At 185 feet tall and 163 years old, it’s long been an icon in the city. It’s hardly recognizable behind the scaffolding currently in place, but about one year after restoration efforts began, Louisville Water is confident it will be finished soon.

Louisville Water is restoring the metals that make up the inside, removing old paint and applying a new paint job. The subsequent pumping station next to the tower is getting a facelift too. It’s about a $7 million project according to Louisville Water. Those funds don’t come out of operating costs, so it doesn’t affect customer costs.

It’s all part of a long-term plan to make sure the water tower represents the city’s history for an even longer time.

“It’s a national historic landmark,” said Louisville Water’s Channa Newman. “It’s one of eight in Louisville, and we want to make sure we preserve and take care of the building and preserve the architecture and all of its foundation as well.”

The restoration is supposed to finish sometime during Fall 2023.