Ypsilanti Water Tower

Ypsilanti Water Tower (HM1SR2)

Location: Ypsilanti, MI 48197 Washtenaw County
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Country: United States of America
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N 42° 14.727', W 83° 37.478'

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Inscription

Side 1
The Ypsilanti Water Tower was designed by William R. Coats and constructed as part of an elaborate city waterworks project that began in 1889. Located on the highest point in Ypsilanti, the tower was completed in 1890. It is 147 feet high and has an 85-foot base constructed of Joliet limestone. The substructure walls taper at the bottom to 24 inches at the top. The reservoir holds a 250,000-gallon steel tank. To protect themselves from injury the builders made three stone crosses; one is visible over the west door. The Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority has operated and maintained the structure since 1974. In 1975 this tower was designated by the American Water Works Association as an American Water Landmark. It was restored in 1976.

Side 2
Day laborers constructed this water tower which was completed in 1890 at a cost of $21,435.63. The tower and the city waterworks supplied 471 customers in the first year. An ordinance passed on April 14, 1898, established a yearly rate schedule. Rates were based on the number of faucets in use, the type of business that customers operated and the livestock they owned. A residence with one tap was charged $5.00; a private bathtub cost an extra $2.00. Saloon keepers paid $7.00 for one faucet, $3.00 for each additional faucet and $1.00 for each billiard
table. Each cow a person owned cost $1.00. People who failed to pay their bill were subject to a $50.00 fine and ninety days in the county jail. Until 1956 this structure was the only water tower in the Ypsilanti water system.

Details

HM Number	HM1SR2
Series	This marker is part of the Michigan: Michigan Historical Commission series
Tags	, Industry and Commerce
Year Placed	1989
Placed By	Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State
Marker Condition	No reports yet
Date Added	Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016 at 1:01pm PDT -07:00

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Locationbig map

UTM (WGS84 Datum)	17T E 283464 N 4680364
Decimal Degrees	42.24545000, -83.62463333
Degrees and Decimal Minutes	N 42° 14.727', W 83° 37.478'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds	42° 14' 43.62" N, 83° 37' 28.68" W
Driving Directions	Google Maps
Area Code(s)	734, 248, 810, 586
Which side of the road?	Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal Address	At or near 303 N Summit St, Ypsilanti MI 48197, US
Alternative Maps	Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap