Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Sulphur Springs Water Tower
A landmark of Tampa, Florida, the Sulphur Springs Water Tower stands 214 feet tall, with a foundation 45 feet deep and can be easily seen from nearby Interstate 275 and many parts of the city. It's located in the historic district of Sulphur Springs. The structure is constructed from poured cement using railroad rails for "rebar"; the walls are eight inches thick with a buttressed base on solid rock. "Concrete was poured into forms that were raised by yokes and jacks -- 10 feet went up a day. The tower rests on rock, has cantilever foundation, and with the buttresses will be rather a difficult job to ever destroy," wrote Poole. When it was operational it stored 200,000 gallons of water pumped up from the nearby artesian springs. The water tank occupies the upper quarter of the cylindrical tower while seven floors, one room per floor, constitute the lower three quarters.

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