{"id":15113,"date":"2022-01-26T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/content-manager\/?p=15113"},"modified":"2022-01-26T15:01:32","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T20:01:32","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-new-yorks-iconic-water-towers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/blog\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-new-yorks-iconic-water-towers\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know About New York\u2019s Iconic Water Towers"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

We all know that water is essential for human life. And that means that in a city of more than 8 million people, you are going to need a lot of water. New York City<\/a> installed water towers hundreds of years ago to support its large population. Today, there are more than 17,000 towers across the city, many of which play a critical role in the city\u2019s iconic skyline.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Some New Yorkers and visitors might take these water towers for granted. After all, water towers, like many other components of the Big Apple\u2019s truly colossal infrastructure, are something people don\u2019t really need to think about on a regular basis. As long as the water is flowing, who really cares where it comes from?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Well, the history and development of New York\u2019s water tower network is quite interesting. This truly impressive network is ultimately one of the key things making living in New York possible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Early Development of New York\u2019s Water Tower Network<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Native Americans known as the Lenape<\/a>, originally populated New York City. They named the area Manhatta, loosely translated to mean \u201chilly island.\u201d At the time, the Lenape survived on the city\u2019s many rivers and streams. But during the 1600s, Dutch settlers dubbed the city \u201cNew Amsterdam\u201d and moved to the area. As population density increased and agriculture and industry accelerated, the once clean waterways became unpotable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Eventually, a group known as the Citizens Association of New York identified the need for infrastructural change. By the 1870s, the Department of Public Works formed and declared of their founding goals was to help create a clean water network. These developments also coincided with the increased spread of indoor plumbing systems.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Gradually, top-floor water storage tanks emerged across the city as it grew in population. These water tanks were typically kept on the top floors of buildings because, prior to the introduction of the water pump, there was not enough water pressure to reach the higher levels of the city\u2019s ever-growing skyline. The tanks could also hold 10,000 gallons of water at a time.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Water Tanks: Unique to New York City<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Contrary to the larger water tanks you might find elsewhere across the country, New York\u2019s water tanks were\u2014and still are\u2014relatively small, abundant, and usually made of wood. The wooden tanks rely on gravity and electric pumping to effectively distribute water and continue refilling. The tanks last up to 40 years, then workers replace them.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The efficient development of the water tower network helped New York eventually become the most populated city in the world. Perhaps surprisingly, these tanks are built by only three different companies (all three of which are family-owned): American Pipe and Tank, Isseks Brothers, and Rosenwatch Tank Company.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Even in the current day, most of the tanks use wood as their main material. However, a wooden tank costs less than a quarter of what it costs to build a steel tank. Additionally, wooden tanks are easier to repair and replace as needed. And as the tanks become filled with water, they steadily expand outward, causing them to become even more watertight (this is the same sort of physics that is used to help build barrels).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Though New York is not the only place in the world to find these sorts of tanks, it is by far the city where they are the most common.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Learn more:\r\n