Why New York City Has So Many Wooden Water Towers

Will of the video series What Is This?, which lightheartedly explains the fascinating history behind ordinary things, looked into why New York City has so many wooden water towers. while other cities don’t.

This is a water tower. Look out any window in New York City and you’ll see one….In a sea of brick, concrete, glass, and steel, New York’s wooden water towers stand out. So, why are they there? 

Will also explained what types of buildings have water towers, how they use gravity to work, and how they serve a dual purpose.

Ultimately, they’re just big tanks of water on the roof. They use gravity to provide water pressure to a building. When you turn on a faucet, the water literally falls out. The beautiful simplicity of this as a system is that if there’s water in the tank, it works. No power required. A building can still get water even in a total blackout. That’s critical for fire response

Wooden Water Towers of New York City

New York City Water Towers