Time Flies When You’re Having Fun!

Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s hard to believe one year has passed since Louisville Water reopened to the public, following an $8 million restoration. Louisville Water took great pride and great care in a massive project to restore the Louisville Water Tower and original Pumping Station No. 1. Making necessary repairs and improvements while preserving the history and paying attention to intricate architectural details was paramount.

Boasting fresh, white paint, new exhibits in the WaterWorks Museum, a grander Grand Hall, and the iconic statues sitting pretty once again on the Tower’s balustrade, Louisville Water Tower welcomed back guests in March 2024. The community lined up in beautiful spring weather for a picture-perfect day to celebrate the home of Louisville’s drinking water. It’s impossible not to admire the history and imagine the future of the Tower, standing at 185 feet.

While Louisville Water Tower holds a special place in our hearts, it clearly does with the community as well. In 2024, the property hosted 93 rentals, 36 field trips, and 31 group tours. Since the grand opening, six couples said “I Do” there and more than 10,000 people have walked through the door to experience the Tower for themselves.

With the thoughtful and careful approach of K. Norman Berry Associates Architects and Corbett Construction Company, Louisville Water earned the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Citation Award as well as the Kentucky Excellence in Cultural Heritage Tourism Award from Preservation Kentucky.

For Louisville Water Event Operations Supervisor Megan Jones, receiving two prestigious awards for the restoration project that presented challenges at times, was rewarding. Yet even more fulfilling is the community’s response to visiting the Tower in the last year.

“It’s been amazing to see the Tower come back to life and become such a big part of the community again,” Jones said. “Watching families, couples, and school groups come through and connect with the history—it’s been so rewarding.

Louisville really loves this place, and it’s a great reminder of how important it is to preserve our history while also looking ahead.”

Come learn the story of your drinking water at Louisville Water Tower. If you’ve never seen the Tower up close, prepare to stand in awe. It symbolizes the quality and innovation that Louisville Water has embodied for nearly 165 years. Plan your visit with us today!

History of Louisville Water Tower

Though no longer operational, Louisville Water Tower and Pumping Station No. 1 were the original facilities for Louisville Water in 1860, Kentucky’s first public drinking water provider. The founders chose a grand architectural statement for buildings that would hold a standpipe, steam engines, and boilers with hopes that skeptical Louisvillians would abandon their well water and pay for tap water. Both are National Historic Landmarks.