This one-story, brick structure with slate roof and copper finishings, sits in White River State Park next to the White River at the approach to the old Washington Street Bridge that connects, as an esplanade, to the Indianapolis Zoo. It was built  in 1870.

 

 

In 1908 the Indianapolis Water Company, which bought it from the Water Works of Indianapolis in 1881, replaced the steam engines with enormous hydraulic turbines and pumps that then relied on  water pressure from the nearby Indy Canal for power. It delivered both drinking water and pressured water for fire protection until it was retired and closed in 1969.

 

Of note, is the fact that it did not rely on the White River directly for water but shallow wells nearby. The wells, of which over 25,000 private ones were already in use by Indianapolis locals, served as a natural filtration buffer for the water.

Btw: In its original form, this pumphouse was shaped in the form of a ‘T’. That changed in 1930 when a tornado took off part of the building.

Other posts about Indianapolis history Martin Krieg created as he wrote "How Indianapolis Built America" are at this link HERE