Lost structure, East Village, 1876 to 1945
Water Works Park Tower
Demolished in 1945
- Opened
- 1876
- Style
- Victorian
- Torn down
- 1945
Designed by Joseph E. Sparks
The Water Works Park Tower stood in East Village from 1876 until 1945. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
More photos of Water Works Park Tower
What is there now
Demolished in 1945
We have not yet found a source that says what stands on the spot today. Last looked on October 25, 2026.
The story
The Water Works Park Tower went up in 1876, as Detroit's lumber, stove and shipbuilding money went into brick and stone.
The design came from Joseph E. Sparks, working in Victorian.
It is gone now, demolished in 1945, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1876 Built Designed by Joseph E. Sparks
- 1945 Closed
- 1945 Demolished
- 2026 Today 81 years since it came down
Where it is
East Jefferson Avenue and Cadillac Boulevard
On this map
- 1 Water Works Park Tower This place
- 2 Ossian Sweet House 0.3 mi
- 3 Christ Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church 0.5 mi
- 4 Amity Lodge No. 335 Temple, Spiritual Israel Church and Its Army Temple 0.5 mi
- 5 Foch Intermediate School 0.6 mi
- 6 Walter J. Hiller House 0.6 mi
- 7 Henry T. Ewald House 0.6 mi
- 8 Caspar Hoffman House 0.6 mi
- 9 Assumption Greek Orthodox Church 0.6 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
More from Detroit in the 1870s
-
Capitol Park Historic District
Historic district, built 1877
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory
House of worship, built 1875, Italianate
Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Monument, built 1872, Classic Revival
Photo: JJonahJackalope, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
St. John's-St. Luke's Evangelical Church
House of worship, built 1872, Late Victorian
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Detroit Public Library (old) Building, built 1877, Second Empire, by Henry T. Brush, demolished 1931
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church House of worship, built 1875, by Peter Dederichs
Around the block
It is in East Village. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.
-
Ossian Sweet House
Built 1919, Arts & Crafts
Photo: Golan1911, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.3 mi
- Christ Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church House of worship, built 1924 0.5 mi
-
Amity Lodge No. 335 Temple, Spiritual Israel Church and Its Army Temple
House of worship, built 1911, Classical Revival
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.5 mi
- Foch Intermediate School School, built 1925, demolished 2024 0.6 mi
- Walter J. Hiller House Built 1922, in Indian Village 0.6 mi
- Henry T. Ewald House Built 1915, Tudor Revival, in Indian Village 0.6 mi
- Caspar Hoffman House Built 1914, in Indian Village 0.6 mi
- Assumption Greek Orthodox Church House of worship, built 1949, by Arthur Greig Jr. 0.6 mi
Photo credits
Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.
- [Lake and tower, Water Works Park, Detroit, Mich.] Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
- Water tower, Water Works Park, Detroit, Mich. Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.