Aside from the Roman aqueducts, it?s not very common to see a water facility serving as a landmark ? and a historical one, at that. Yet in Louisville, Kentucky, there?s the Louisville Water Tower, a 169-foot standpipe tower that is the oldest water tower in the world. The Louisville pumping station was ingeniously designed as a Greek temple, boasting a Classic and Greek Revival architectural style.

The tower was constructed in 1856 after the second cholera pandemic in 1832. The water tower began its operations on October 16, 1860. It fed from a reservoir that drew water from the Ohio River. It could pump 12 million gallons of water a day.

Today, the water tower complex had ceased all of its operations, but it still functions as a city landmark. It is also the home of the Louisville Visual Arts Association, who holds art exhibits and annual parties. The water tower was declared a National Historical Landmark in 1971.