Hardy Tower, San Diego, CA
N 32° 46.624 W 117° 04.332
11S E 493238 N 3626575
A camouflaged water tank on the San Diego State campus.
Waymark Code: WM37YQ
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 02/23/2008
Views: 21
This 200 foot tower near the center of the campus holds a 5,000 gallon water tank. The tower is named after Dr. Edward L. Hardy, the second President of what was then San Diego Normal School. During his 25 years in office, the institution evolved into the San Diego State Teachers College in 1923, and then the San Diego State College in 1935.
From the "San Diego State University Occasional Archaelogical Papers":
"However, even drought-resistant plants, along with students and faculty, get thirsty. Sanitary issues and fire protection also needed to be considered. The solution was the placement of a 50,000-gallon water storage cistern buried within the main quad area near the base of the Campanile. In reality a camouflaged water tower, Hardy Tower contains a 5,000-gallon water tank near its 200-foot apex (Figure 3.4). Electric pumps at the tower’s base drove water up from the underground cistern to the upper tank. The weight of the water and gravity then provided adequate “head pressure” for the campus water supply system."¹
¹San Diego State College Historic District: The Mediterranean Monastery as a College Campus
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