The tower was purchased by the city of Minneapolis and connected to the city water supply in 1915. Water was pumped from the Minnehaha Creek to the tower and then piped to the orphanage. The original tower was built 1893 by Cadwallader and William Washburn to supply water for the Memorial Orphan Asylum. The other two are Kenwood Park Water Tower, just west of downtown, and Prospect Park Water Tower, in northeast Minneapolis. The Washburn Park Water Tower is one of three stone water towers built in Minneapolis during the early 20th century. The tower is considered an unofficial "beacon" for incoming planes landing at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport however, it is not as visible to passers-by at the base of the hill due to the large homes and tall oak trees scattered on the hillside. It is located on top of one of the highest points of south Minneapolis. The Washburn Park Water Tower is a landmark in the Tangle town neighborhood of south Minneapolis, Minnesota, built in 1931. “I’ve seen him blossom in his leadership. Working together with his son to solve complicated problems has been a blessing, Edgel added. “All these people stepped up and said, ‘We’ll help,’” he said. Kim Edgel, Aaron’s father, said the project wouldn’t have been possible without the help of several local businesses, including Fire Tech Inc., Padnos, Lake Welding and Fillmore Equipment. “It’s an old piece of equipment that needs to be moved, and we’ll be glad to have it gone,” she said. With the water tower removed, the area will be able to return to its natural state and a potential injury hazard will be gone, said Howell. “Aaron has shown an outstanding level of attention to detail and maturity in putting all of this together.” “I think the project is wonderful,” said Howell. Linda Howell, the chair of the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission, said she was very impressed by Edgel’s proposal. I learned about leadership and I’ve learned about getting permission,” he said. “I’ve learned that there is no simple way to do something like this. He also had to write a multiple page report about the project, which he rewrote five times. Removing the water tower gets rid of the site for illegal fires and graffiti and eliminates the possibility of someone being harmed by the jagged rusty edges of the tower’s metal, Edgel added.Īs part of the project, Edgel had to receive approval from multiple parties, including the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Committee, the Boy Scouts and the Graafschap Fire Department. In all, Edgel coordinated some 25 volunteers who put in more than 400 hours on the project, which he wrapped up this week. An Eagle project has to be a very large project that benefits the community, he said. “I was originally looking for the easiest project,” said Aaron Edgel, 15, who needed a project for his work toward Eagle Scout.Įdgel said he quickly found that removing the nearly 10 ton rusted tower from its remote was far from easy. The remnants have since been used as a canvas for vandals and a site for illegal campfires.īut with help from his father, friends and local businesses, an area Boy Scout took it upon himself to remove the potentially dangerous eyesore from the otherwise pristine preserve. The tower, built in 1913, collapsed in the 1960s. Anyone who ventured off the beaten path in the Sanctuary Woods Preserve west of Holland couldn’t miss the giant rust-stained and graffiti-scarred old water tower.
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