Building Description Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower, Collinsville Illinois

The Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower is located on the west side of route 159 at Clinton Road, within the corporate limits of Collinsville. This is the oldest section of the City. The water tower is free standing on the grounds of the Bethel-Eckart Plant. It is not connected to any of the buildings.

The Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower was built in 1949. It is essentially a 100,000 gallon elevated water tank supported on a 100 foot tall tower. It is overall 170 feel tall and is all carbon steel material. The supporting tower is a three section, four column, cross braced, latticed column structure. Each column leg is comprised of two rivet laced 15 inch wide steel channels, battered at a 1/4 inch to 12 inch ratio. The tower sections are cross braced with 7 inch and 5 inch double channel struts. Diagonal windage rods 1 3/8 inch diameter with turn buckles connect the tower sections. The tower has a 3 inch diameter center riser pipe of welded construction. This riser pipe was used to connect the 8 inch underground water main to the tank.

The 100,000 gallon water tank is made of 5/16 inch and 1/4 inch thick steel segments formed in cylindrical and conical shapes to depict a catsup bottle. The tank bottom is elliptically shaped 3/8 inch thick carbon steel plate. The lower portion of the tank is cylindrical, 22 feel diameter by 14 feet high. The upper portion of the tank is conically shaped 22 feet diameter at the bottom and 7 feet diameter at the top. The cone segment is approximately 43 feet tall. The tank is all riveted construction.

The "bottle cap" is 8 feet diameter and 7 feet tall. It is made from 3/16 carbon steel plate and is welded and bolted construction, A 22 inch by 20 inch hatchway is provided in the top of the cap for access to the tank interior. An exterior ladder system is provided from near grade level to the top of the cap.

The water tank is painted to resemble a Brooks catsup bottle complete with bottle cap, label, and bottle design in a red, white, and blue color scheme. At some point, the water tower was painted with a new scheme, depicting an updated design of the Brooks catsup bottle. In 1993, the water tank was restored lo its original 1949 appearance.