{"nrhp_refnum":"02001754","name":"West Water Tower and Ground Storage Tank","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"310 11th Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Orion","county":"Henry County","state":"IL","lat":41.35345577000004,"lon":-90.38210699799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-02-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A municipal water system site at 310 11th Avenue in Orion, Henry County, Illinois, with a 136.5-foot elevated steel water tower (50,000 gallons), a 30,000-gallon redwood ground storage tank and a brick pump house. The tower was erected in 1928.","why_significant":"The nomination argues local significance under Criterion A for its role in Orion's community planning and development, and under Criterion C for engineering as an example of an elevated water tank. It is a Horton-type hemispherical bottom tank on a four-post lattice trestle, a form widely used across the country. The period of significance runs from 1928 to 1952.","narrative":"Rising 136.5 feet above Orion's business district, this elevated steel water tower holds 50,000 gallons in a hemispherical-bottom tank carried on a four-post trestle of lattice channels. Built in 1928 by Chicago Bridge & Iron to the design of engineer James C. Vosburgh, it was made somewhat heavier than standard small-town designs because it followed the Chicago building code. On the same small parcel sit a 30,000-gallon redwood ground storage tank and a brick pump house that holds the well, pumping equipment and a chlorine room, all linked by underground piping. The riser pipe casing, originally wood, is now aluminum, and the pump house roof was changed from flat to pitched in 2002. The property was listed for its part in the village's water supply and growth, and as an example of the Horton-style elevated tank that became a familiar sight in American towns. It remains in municipal use.","period_of_significance":"1928-1952","architect_builder":"Vosburgh, James C. Engineer; Chicago Bridge & Iron","architectural_style":"Other: Water Tank, Storage Tank, Pump House","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used for public water works. The tower is in good condition for its function, though the tank paint is peeling. The ground storage tank works but leaks occasionally.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.215119-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/8929/28892988/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/02001754.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001754/23159424fe-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001754/23159424fe-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Boscophotos","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_Water_Tower_and_tank.jpeg\" rel=\"noopener\">Boscophotos</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_Water_Tower_and_tank.jpeg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892988","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Water_Tower_and_Ground_Storage_Tank","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24041209"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/henry-county/west-water-tower-and-ground-storage-tank-02001754/"}