Roland Water Tower Project

The latest project of the Roland Park Community Foundation is the Stabilization of the Roland Water Tower.

The Roland Water Tower, located at 4210 Roland Avenue, is a 148-feet tall, octagonal masonry tower made from brick and terra cotta.  The Tower has been out of use since the 1960’s and is in disrepair.  Falling tiles resulted in a chain link fence being put up over 10-years ago.  It is located at the nexus of four neighborhoods:  Hoes Heights, Rolden, Roland Park and Hampden.

This historic tower was built in 1905 to provide water for Hampden. However, in 1930 the reservoir system replaced towers, so the Tower became the turnaround spot for streetcars.  In the 1960’s, buses replaced streetcars and today it acts as a landmark for the surrounding neighborhoods.  The Tower is in the Beaux Arts style where style was important even on structures that were used in functional roles.

The RPCF stepped up to bring this gem back to life.  Lewis Contractors was hired to repair the structure and construction will begin in September 2020, and the work will be complete in April 2021, subject to weather delays.

Watch this page for updates as the project progresses!

For a history of the water tower and the campaign to preserve it, more details can be found here.