Chillicothe Water and Power Company Pumping Station

The Chillicothe Water and Power Company Pumping Station is a historic building on the northern side of Chillicothe, Ohio, United States. A Gothic Revival structure built in 1881,[1] it was constructed to house the city's waterworks and power plant. Its architecture and its location in Yoctangee Park was chosen specifically in order to beautify the park as well as to have a location near other elements of the city's first waterworks, which were built at the same time as the pumping station.[2]

Chillicothe Water And Power Company Pumping Station
Chillicothe Water and Power Company Pumping Station is located in Ohio
Chillicothe Water and Power Company Pumping Station
Chillicothe Water and Power Company Pumping Station is located in the United States
Chillicothe Water and Power Company Pumping Station
LocationEnderlin Circle, Chillicothe, Ohio
Coordinates39°20′22″N 82°58′55″W / 39.33944°N 82.98194°W / 39.33944; -82.98194
AreaLess than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1881
Architectural styleGothic Revival
NRHP reference No.79001932[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 15, 1979

From 1881 to 1882, Chillicothe constructed a water supply system; among the elements of this system were a well, a massive reservoir, the pumping station in Yoctangee Park, and water mains to supply all parts of the city. A single-story building with a two-and-a-story tower,[2] it is a brick structure with a foundation of sandstone and a slate roof.[3]

By the late 1970s, Chillicothe had erected a new waterworks, and its electricity was supplied by other sources; consequently, the old building was abandoned. Ideas were proposed for its renovation and preservation: plans were laid for its conversion into a community center,[2] and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places late in 1979.[1] Key to its designation as a historic site was its historic architecture, primarily because of its construction as an "ornament" for Yoctangee Park.[2] Today, the pumping station has been converted into an art gallery, the Pump House Center for the Arts.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 1215-1216.
  3. ^ Chillicothe Water And Power Company Pumping Station, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2010-09-13.
  4. ^ Pump House Center for the Arts: About Us Archived 2011-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, Pump House Center for the Arts, 2010. Accessed 2010-09-13.
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