Water tower

The detached WATER TOWER on the Amersfoortse Berg, which is located a short distance away on the south side of the Utrechtseweg, was built in 1912 on behalf of the Gemeente Waterleiding Bedrijf. Because the tower was situated at a relatively high point (44m above sea level), there was no need to design a high tower. This led to a rather rare, stocky form.

The reason for the construction was the dissatisfaction with the water quality that the Utrechtse Waterleiding-Maatschappij supplied from Soesterberg from 1890 onwards. Since the concession to the UWM did not give the exclusive right, the rather unique situation arose that there were two competing water companies.

The design was delivered by Gemeentewerken with C.G. Beltman as the final responsible municipal architect. The tower was built by the company T. van Hoogevest from Amersfoort. The tower is designed in transitional architecture, with motifs from the Neo-Romanesque predominating, such as the spars with round-arched frieze, interspersed with lisenes, and round-arched windows. The details in the balustrade were probably removed during the restoration in 1944.

In 1947 the original steel windows were removed and part replaced by wooden windows and partly bricked up. In the interior, a room was installed on the ground floor, in which there is an emergency generator. A number of satellite dishes have been placed on top of the roof. These changes are outside the scope of protection.

Description The water tower has the shape of a cylinder, with a diameter of 12 meters and a height of 17 meters. Inside the cylinder is a steel reservoir of type Intze I, resting on a steel structure. A non-load-bearing brick shell is designed around it.

In the shell, the position of the reservoir is expressed by a cordon frame between the one-storey high base which is placed on a low plinth and the shell above it around the reservoir. A gutter frame supported by bobbins, in which small narrow windows, and a balustrade crown the whole. The cylinder can be divided into eight uniform bays with the exception of the two input parts.

Above the door and the windows are natural stone lintels, with a large round arch above the door and two smaller round arches above the windows. Above the entrance on the north side is written in a natural stone relief 'Gemeente-Waterleiding'. In the other bays, a double round-arched window has been installed on the ground floor, with a one-light window and a rod division in the semicircular skylight.

Each bay in the superstructure consists of a sparse field, which is bordered by lisenes. The savings field is crowned by a round-arched frieze. In the center of the lisenes is a very elongated window enclosed by a round arch.

The window is articulated horizontally by rods. Each sparse field has two small four-pane windows with two closed round-arched windows separated above them by ornamental masonry. The brick balustrade staggers in height, with the highest parts situated above the lisenes. The interior is determined by the supporting structure of the water reservoir.

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