Work crews on Monday began tearing down the water tank that towered over drivers going to or from Decatur for 84 years.
The water tower, which had the city of Decatur’s logo on one side and “Destination DeKalb” on the other, has been out of service for 15 years.
The county announced a year ago it planned to demolish the tower, constructed in 1935 as a result of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal projects. It is located near the East Lake MARTA station, at the corner of Paden Circle and West Howard Avenue, near where it turns into DeKalb Avenue.
The project will affect traffic in the area until it is completed, which could be late November.
» RELATED: After 80 years, DeKalb to demolish water tower in Decatur
Crews will periodically close westbound lanes on West Howard during work hours, which are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Monday through Friday, and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
When it was in service, the tower could hold up to 500,000 gallons of water, and was originally part of the Decatur Waterworks water system facility. The tower served the city for nearly 50 years before it was sold to DeKalb County, according to online historical records.
DeKalb is paying about $164,500 to demolish the tank. It has not said what it might do with the land it currently sits on.
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