"A Tale of Two Towers"
(and a couple Tanks Too!)

Among the mostly stately ghosts quietly standing guard at three of the city's corners are these ornate reminders of the past, passed by thousands each day.  It's hard to think of them as forgotten, as all are visible from a considerable distance, particularly in the "non-leaf" seasons.  Here, then is a look at the City's former Water Towers and tank that serve as impressive reminders to the past:
THE ROLAND TOWER:

The Roland Tower, at the corner of Roland Avenue and University Parkway, built in 1905, has faced the prospect of demolition several times within it's life.  The tower appears to have become inactive in 1930, when Roland Park was connected to the Reservoir system.  In 1940, the property surrounding the tower was turned into a makeshift transit terminal, when trackless trolleys from the newly converted #10 began using the "Water Tower Loop as their Northern terminal, met by streetcars of the #24 line which changed ends in the middle of Roland Avenue.  Use of the driveway as a transit loop continued until 1992.  At times, the tower faced the threat of removal in the interests of developers who sought to create an Apartment Building on the property.  Thankfully, this did not come to pass, and the tower stands on, slightly tattered, but still retaining an overall noble appearance.  It's original purpose, while long discontinued, is still known by many locals who refer to the structure as the "Water Tower"


THE WEST ARLINGTON TOWER:

The West Arlington Tower, located at the on Granada Avenue between Oakford and Ridgewood Avenues, is in many ways similar to the Roland Tower, but is older, being constructed between 1897-1899, as the result of a lack of high-ground reserviors at the time.  It likely became dormant in 1930, at about the same time as the Roland Tower. The crest of the tower, over 400 Feet above sea level, is easily spotted from the span of the Baltimore Metro as it crosses Belvedere Avenue, just South of Rogers Avenue Station.  The tower, while by all means an impressive sight, shows signs of a harder life than it's Roland sibling.  The shaft of the tower is in relatively nice shape, but the roofline has collapsed on it's Eastern Side, leaving an ominous and barren look to the tower, perhaps more suited to a "B-More Ghost," but it's current state may cast a difficult assurance for its survival.

THE CURTIS BAY TANK:

With it's splendid use of arches and it's gradient shaded brick tones, the Curtis Bay-Brooklyn Water Tank is quite likely the most beautiful of all Baltimore's water storage structures.  Located in a fenced off lot in Brooklyn, the tank is easily visible from many spots within the region.  The enclosure, designed by Frank O. Heyder in 1932, encompasses a 1930 vintage tank that replaced a taller 1893 structure constructed on the site by Monarch Engineering.  As shown here, the coliseum style tank and its grounds are in good repair.


THE CATONSVILLE TANK

Baltimore City is not the only locality that offers interesting water storage architecture.  In Catonsville, along Beaumont Avenue, lies this Art-Deco beauty, complete with some particularly neat flourishes, detailed below.


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