When I was growing up in Madison, the water tower—the water tower, back when there was only one—figured prominently in my sense of local geography.
The big silver tower on its eight steel legs was the first actual sign of Madison we’d see over the horizon when coming back from a grocery trip to Sioux Falls. When we moved out to Lake Herman, I was captivated by the site of the tower peeking over the eastern shore. I told my parents I wanted to go to Lincoln Elementary so I could look out my classroom windows and draw the water tower, which, sitting northeast of the school, just across Fourth Street at the intersection with Union, would have bounced beautiful light from the southwestering afternoon sun right into any north-facing classroom (Somehow that request was not processed, and Mom and Dad sent me to Washington Elementary on the east side of town.)
Built in the midst of the Depression, the water tower was likely funded by the New Deal Public Works Administration, which made possible a wave of steel water towers across the state. The tower hydrated Madison residents and businesses for nearly 90 years.
Madison has grown east and south, and it has placed taller water towers on Snob Hill just off 9th and Heatherwood and, in 2023, down in the Industrial Park south of the new Best Western Lakeview Hotel (which can’t see either lake but can see the new tower). Upon completion of that southeast tower, the city shut off the 1935 tower. The city talked about getting rid of the west tower in 2009, but now they really mean it—come 2027, expect that eight-legged tower to be gone:
The City of Madison will remove the old water tower at 504 NW 4th street. The decision came Monday during the regular commission meeting, and after weeks of consideration of various options.
At their meeting two weeks ago, the commission asked for additional public input in regards to the tower’s future. It was clear by the input received that many Madison residents thought the old water tower was still in use. It has not been since the new tower on the south side of town went on-line.
Between the two towers in use, the tank at the water treatment plant, and the Lewis & Clark tank east of town, Madison has 3,250,000 gallons of water available on any given day. That’s more than double the average daily use in the summer months [“City Commission Votes to Bring Down the Unused 4th Street Water Tower,” KJAM Radio, 2025.11.04].
The city memo on options for the old tower did not include creating an amazing lookout bed and breakfast (now that would be Unexpected™! The memo did discuss keeping the tower as a base for telecommunications equipment. Current leases with AT&T until 2027 and Verizon until 2042 would bring in $495,955.03, but painting and repairs over the next four years would cost $591,612, and ongoing maintenance afterward would run $14,618 a year. So Madison wouldn’t come out ahead keeping the tower (unless it put an elevator in the main pipe and bedrooms and windows in the tank! and ziplines to downtown and Westside Park!).
The bulk of the maintenance cost would be painting. The city got two quotes from painters, and the lower bid was $460K. Both painters said they can’t just slap on new paint, because it likely wouldn’t hold over all the old, chunky layers of coatings. They’d have to sandblast the whole structure, and the existing paint is full of lead.
The low quote on demolition is $138K. The city actually entertained taking down just the tank and leaving the pedastal (I suppose to support continued leases for telecom gear… and maybe those ziplines, right, Mayor Roy?), but that more careful operation would cost $177,250. So the city will take the cheapest and easiest option: pull down the whole structure and maybe put up a single pole for telecoms.
Madison might not fund the tower demolition until 2027, but when they do get around to it, the tear-down will take a week. I’ve got to clear my calendar to go watch that! And maybe Dad and I can take the trailer to town to snag a couple of the tower legs to take back to the lake to build our own lookout tower.
p.s.: KJAM reports that the two newer water towers, the tank at the water treatment plant, and the Biden-boosted Lewis & Clark pipeline tank east of town make 3.25 million gallons of water available to the city, “more than double the average daily use in the summer months.” That means Madison’s current daily use is maybe 1.6 million gallons. 16 years ago, the city was projecting daily water usage would surpass 2.5 million gallons per day by 2030.
Thoughts on steel water towers. I climbed mine in Highmore. It was scary beyond belief. My brother almost ran his Mohawk into it when he buzzed Highmore after returning from Vietnam. They are steel trap memories for sure. Sad to see one go.
Did Madison lease with AT&T until 2027 and Verizon until 2042 knowing already that the tower was going to come down and make those leases litigious?
It is a great looking tower…but it has served its purpose and it’s time to come down. Pressure is higher now under the 2 zone system than there would be with 3 zones if we brought the 3rd tower back online. Unfortunately, with the flaking paint, something has to be done. The costs point to demo and installation of a monopole. Maybe we can consider one of those fancy monopines from Yankton if we have a little extra for aesthetic appearance. I really do wish we had the funds to take it down this year. If we are seeing flaking paint, then there is probably a lot more drifting around the neighborhoods and settling all over that we can’t see. Luckily, our leasing partners are gladly working with us to resolve all of the issues. All contracts have clauses to account for structural issues for leased space. Cell carriers could find new leases or they can stay and wait for the changes. Currently, with the bent ladder rungs, it is a safety issue and that will likely need to be fixed before demo so they can maintain their equipment until demo. One of the carriers is doing propagation studies to determine if that is the best location for their antennae. They believe it will end up being the best spot so they would likely be interested in a monopole to continue lease contracts. This will allow the city to maintain a revenue generating asset.