People will have to wait until fall, or perhaps longer, for the rare opportunity to scale the Highland Park water tower in St. Paul.
After the twice-yearly open house was canceled in 2020 by the pandemic, St. Paul Regional Water Services said the July open house isn't possible because of construction.
The tower, located at the intersection of Snelling Avenue and Ford Parkway, is usually open to the public two weekends per year, in July and October. The tower was designed by Clarence "Cap" Wigington, a pioneering Black architect, and completed in 1928.
The landmark tower has attracted thousands of visitors willing to climb the 151 stairs to the observation platform, according to Jodi Wallin, the water utility's marketing manager.
"It's very popular," Wallin said. "In 2018 there were 3,300 people even though there was snow in the morning."
Workers are demolishing the Highland reservoir to the south of the tower and repaving parking lots. The projects are expected to be done by the October opening, according to Wallin, but weather could get in the way.
"We really hope to have it open for the fall viewing in October," Wallin said. She added that in the meantime, people can keep tabs on some of the construction through an EarthCam video.
