On This Date in Minnesota History: November 13

November 13, 1997 – The Prospect Park water tower with its distinctive "witch's hat" design by Norwegian architect Frederick William Cappelen was named to the National Register of Historical Places on this date. The 110-foot water tower was built in 1913 with a holding capacity of 150,000 gallons on a hill with the highest elevation in Minneapolis.¹

“The Witch's Hat Water Tower is rumored to be the inspiration for Bob Dylan's ‘All Along the Watchtower,’ as the tower was clearly visible from Dylan's home in nearby Dinkytown.”<sup>2

1</sup>http://www.pperr.org/history/thetower.html

²http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_Park,_Minneapolis

Prospect Park Water Tower

Photos taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain November 13, 2013, 

as long as acknowledgement included.

"PROSPECT PARK WATER TOWER 

THE WITCH’S HAT WATER TOWER WAS DESIGNED 

BY NORWEGIAN ARCHITECT FREDERICK WILLIAM 

CAPPELEN AND CONSTRUCTED BY THE CITY OF 

MINNEAPOLIS IN 1913. OCCUPYING THE HIGHEST 

NATURAL LAND AREA IN MINNEAPOLIS, THE WATER 

TOWER WAS BUILT TO IMPROVE WATER PRESSURE IN 

THE HOMES OF PROSPECT PARK RESIDENTS. THE 

TOWER WAS DECOMMISSIONED IN 1952, BUT HAS BEEN 

PRESERVED AS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THIS CITY’S 

HISTORY. THE WITCH’S HAT WATER TOWER AND TOWER 

HILL PARK ARE LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF 

HISTORIC PLACES."

http://www.pperr.org/history/thetower.html