31, 2026. Officials and parks supporters gather for a ceremony on Aug.
A 102-foot water tank in Pittsburgh that once also served as an observation post is set to welcome visitors again after being closed for decades, following a major restoration project. The North Park Observation Tower, built in 1937, is undergoing a multi-million-pound restoration led by the Allegheny County Parks Foundation and local county officials, according to reports by WESA and TribLive. The project has a budget of about $3.2 million and will repair the tower, improve safety railings, and reopen its 154-step spiral staircase to the public. It was mainly built as a 300,000-gallon water storage standpipe. Standing at an elevation of more than 1,300 feet above sea level, the tower’s open-air viewing deck provides a 360-degree view of the surrounding North Hills.
The tower was built during the Great Depression with funding help from the Works Progress Administration, a major New Deal agency created to provide jobs through public works projects. At the same time, it served as a high lookout point for visitors to the county park. On clear days, visitors can see as far as Downtown Pittsburgh. The platform at the top has vintage terrazzo flooring decorated with astrological and directional designs, along with a steel domed ceiling.
Plans to restore the site were first mentioned in the 2002 Allegheny County Parks Comprehensive Master Plan. The project later gained momentum after the Babcock Charitable Trust provided a $400,000 grant. Workers are carrying out targeted metal repairs, updating the 154-step staircase and top railings to meet current safety codes, and sandblasting the inside and outside of the tower. Historical photographs are also being used to help choose paint colours that match the tower’s original 1937 appearance.
Jaime Filipek of the Allegheny County Parks Foundation confirmed the scope of the project, stating: “The project will restore one of North Park’s most iconic landmarks while also transforming the surrounding site to improve accessibility, enhance visitor experience and expand opportunities for public use and community gathering. A mix of public and private funding from regional charities and local government has helped move the long-delayed restoration forward. Further funding has come from the Allegheny Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Allegheny County government, and community donations collected by the Allegheny County Parks Foundation. Engineering checks carried out before construction found that the tower’s main structure and core ironwork remain in good condition.