Washburn Park Water Tower

The Washburn Park Water Tower is an Art Deco water tower in south Minneapolis, built in 1932 and notable for its ornamental decoration: eight allegorical "Guardians of Health" carved in terracotta stand around the base of the tank, representing various threats to the city's water supply. The tower is a distinctive landmark on the southwest Minneapolis skyline and a good example of the Art Deco civic aesthetic applied to functional infrastructure.

The tower is not normally open to the public but is visible from the street in Washburn Park. It is part of a walking or cycling route through the south Minneapolis neighbourhoods that includes Lake Harriet, the Lynhurst neighbourhood, and the Minnehaha Creek Corridor.

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The tower was designed in 1932 by Charles A. Gage and decorated with eight ceramic "Guardians of Health" — allegorical figures representing forces threatening the city's water supply, including bacteria, pollution, drought, and pestilence. The guardian holding a dead rat was considered too morbid during the public health optimism of the 1930s and was replaced by a more benign figure. The original rat-clutching guardian is in storage.