Pot Luck Friday #11: Old Raleigh Water Tower

The Raleigh Water Works, a private company, built the tower and an attached two story building in 1887. It was used to store and distribute water throughout the city.

The tower was once topped by a 30' iron tank that held as much as 100,000 gallons of water and reportedly made the tower the city's tallest structure.


The tank was dismantled in 1924.

In 1938 the city planned to tear down the 85' octagonal tower. William Deitrick a local architect purchased it from the city. He removed the pine columns that once held up the tower and built four octagonal rooms, one on top of the other in the bottom third of the tower. From the top room, long used for storage, you can look up about 50' to the bottom of the wooden platform where the water tank once sat. He moved his architecture firm into the old granite and brick water tower in downtown Raleigh...where he designed many local buildings including last Friday's Dorton Arena. Mr. Deitrick donated the building to the State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1963.


This gate leads to a

to a lovely courtyard and garden behind the tower.

The State AIA has outgrown the building. It is now for sale. They are only asking

$685,000 for what is a one-of-a-kind building.

For those interested the phone number is below. (HA!)