In the decades I’ve lived in Minnesota, I have seen this iconic tower many times but only from a distance as I am driving around town. Finally, today, I decided it’s worth a closer look.

The Witches Hat Water Tower, is located in the Prospect Park neighborhood. And wow! What a beautiful neighborhood it is. The tower is located on the highest natural land area in Minneapolis. The tower stands at 110 feet and was built in 1913. Its capacity was 150,000 gallons. Now for this amazing fact – It was also built to be a bandstand! However, only one concert was ever held there as the musicians had trouble getting their instruments up the tower. Duh! The observation deck is open once a year, around Memorial Day. The opening coincides with the Pratt Ice Cream Social. Sad news it has been cancelled again in 2022, due to Covid. The last one they had was in 2019. The plaque at the base of the tower reads as follows:

PROSPECT PARK WATER TOWER
THE WITCH’S HAT WATER TOWER WAS DESIGNED
BY NORWEGIAN ARCHITECT FREDERICK WILLIAM
CAPPELEN AND CONSTRUCTED BY THE CITY OF
MINNEAPOLIS IN 1913. OCCUPYING THE HIGHEST
NATURAL LAND AREA IN MINNEAPOLIS, THE WATER
TOWER WAS BUILT TO IMPROVE WATER PRESSURE IN
THE HOMES OF PROSPECT PARK RESIDENTS. THE
TOWER WAS DECOMMISSIONED IN 1952, BUT HAS BEEN
PRESERVED AS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THIS CITY’S
HISTORY. THE WITCH’S HAT WATER TOWER AND TOWER
HILL PARK ARE LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF
HISTORIC PLACES.”

NOW FOR A BITE TO EAT!

Drive the short distance to The Market, at Malcolm Yards. It’s a food hall that offers nine different vendors and a self pour beer wall. I had a Marsala Dosa, at Momo Dosa. Very tasty. The market has plenty of seating and a great vibe. https://malcolmyards.market/location-hours/