The Friends of the Water Works are starting our most ambitious project yet:
the Restoration of the Pillars at the 1883 Water Works.
Over the past 20 years, we have successfully completed many preservation projects, including replacing the capstones on the tailrace arch, using a combination of our own funds and generous community donations.
Now, our next challenge is our greatest yet. We will be restoring two historic pillars in the Pump Room. This is the first phase of a multi-step project, that will ultimately bring history to life even further by building a replica of the original pumps to rest on the restored pillars.
Our goal is to enhance visitors’ understanding and experience of how the Water Works once operated, and this restoration is a critical step in making that possible.
We are working with an expert stonemason to ensure the work is done with skill and care. The anticipated costs for this first phase are:
$1,500 to procure replacement stones from a local supplier
$7,500 for the labor and mortar needed to restore the pillars
With your support, we hope to complete this first phase in time for the 2026 season, preserving an important piece of Fort Collins history for generations to come.
To take a deeper dive into the Restoration of the Pillars Project, please visit our website:
Help us bring the Restoration of the Pillars at the 1883 Water Works to life. Every contribution makes history possible.
Restoration of the Pillars
The restoration of two historic pillars in the Pump Room at the 1883 Water Works is one of our most ambitious projects in quite some time. This is the first phase of a multi-step project that will ultimately bring history to life even further by building a replica of the original pumps to rest on the restored pillars. However, we need $9,000 in donations to begin this project. We already have the replacement stones identified as well as an expert stonemason to rebuild the pillars.
With your support, we hope to complete this first phase in time for the 2026 season, preserving an important part of Fort Collins history.
Background
The 1883 Fort Collins Water Works serves as an opportunity for the people of the Fort Collins areas to connect with the importance of water in their history. The building was preserved from demolition about forty years ago and many features of the original facility have been documented. When an archeological excavation of the site was undertaken in 2000, the original stone pillars and the stone arch over the tail race was uncovered. These have remained as they were excavated.
Picture 1, 1904 Photo showing Stone Arch & Fence
Unfortunately, an empty building or a stone arch do not explain the history by themselves. Over the last thirty years the Friends of the Water Works have done a significant amount of painstaking historical research to document how the facility functioned, and fill in information about the pieces that are missing.
Restoration of the tail race arch stones
Careful examination of old photographs from around 1900 showed that the top row of stonework on the arch had gone missing sometime in the last 120 years. The Friends of the Water Works thought this would be a useful restoration project and it would also allow the construction of better fencing above the tail race. Private donations allowed purchase of the stone for the project. The heavy stones sat for several years because a stone mason willing to take on the project could not be found. Finally, some of the friends met Chris Nystrom, Old World Stone Craft of Livermore, CO, working on a project at the Moose Viewing Center in Gould, and he agreed to do the work. With private donations and support from the City Water Department, the stonework and the new fence were completed in 2025.
Picture 2, Photo of Stone Arch prior to Restoration
Picture 3, Picture of Arch Cap Stones & Fence after Restoration
Chris’s experience proved invaluable in coloring the mortar and shaping the stones to blend in with the original stonework. It was an excellent example of the type of restoration work the Friends wanted.
Our latest project is the restoration of the pump house pillars and the construction of a full-size replica of the water driven pumps.
While doing research several years ago Dick Spiess ran across information on the Holly Gaskell pumps used in the Fort Collins Waterworks. Identical pumps were used in Spokane, Washington. The pumps in Fort Collins were removed and sold for scrap after World War I. However, the water department in Spokane had retained one of their pumps.
Picture 4, Holly Gaskill Pump in Spokane, WA
Since that time, the Friends have long considered installing a full-size replica of one of the pumps in the Pump Room to better assist visitors to visualize what it looked like. At first this seemed like wishful thinking, but we keep moving ahead on the project. We have taken accurate measurements of the pump in Spokane and developed a set of drawings of each of the parts of the pump for the replica.
We have sufficient money for the purchase of the stone for the restoration but not enough for the labor to rebuild the pillars. Our stone mason has estimated about $7,500 for this part of the restoration and is able to perform the restoration this winter.
Picture 5, Assembly drawing of the Pumps
As you can see, a tremendous amount of work has been done to develop drawings of the pumps. However, in order to eventually place a replica in the pump house, the piers will have to be restored. These were left as uncovered by the archeologists in 1995. The tops were damaged when the pumps were removed and the stonework needs to be refurbished before any models can be installed.
Picture 6, Existing Pillars in the Pump Room
Due to the availability of Chris Nystrom this winter, the quality of work he did on the archway, and the difficulty we have had finding a stonemason, we feel this work needs to be done now. Once the piers are completed, we can work on completing the replica of the pumps.
