Brainerd Water Tower Renovations Shown Off at Chamber Event

The Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce held its monthly “Business After Hours” event on Tuesday at the base of the old Brainerd Water Tower to show off renovations being done on the site.

The water tower was the first aboveground concrete water tower in the world, according to officials on site. Over the 100 years since it was first built, the tower fell into disrepair. But behind federal grants and support from the city council, the interior renovation of the tower is now complete and the exterior renovations are well underway.

“Not a lot of people have been inside the structure,” said Paul Skogen, chairman of the Water Tower Committee. “So we wanted the people to see the inside of this structure, get a feel for what we’re trying to preserve, and kind of help us out. This way, they can actually see what we have.”

Renovations have already begun on the outside of the tower, but no clear timeline has been given for its completion date.