Tampa, Florida - Sulphur Springs Water Tower

The 214-ft. tall, castle-like Sulphur Springs Water Tower in north Tampa was built in 1927 as a centerpiece for an amusement park and a community along the Hillsborough River. Closed for decades, the city bought it last year and is making it part of a park. From the St. Petersburg Times: "The crew hired to clean up the Sulphur Springs Water Tower was ready for almost anything creepy, crawly and potentially poisonous that it could imagine. The moving ceiling was a bit surprising, though." [L. Gude, 07/31/2003]

To serve his rapidly growing Sulphur Springs ventures, real estate promoter Josiah Richardson built a water tower along the Hillsborough River between 1925 and 1927. Constructed of poured-in-place concrete, the 210-foot tower stood over a boiling spring. An elevator carried people up the cylinder to the observation balcony, which provided a panoramic view of the river. Richardson's original hope of club rooms occupying the floors between the spring-fed base and the storage tank never materialized.

The city of Tampa purchased the property in 2002 and plans to turn the 13 acre parcel into a "passive park." [LGude, 06/21/2003]