Moonlight Towers - Austin, TX, USA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The 31 original steel towers used to light the Austin streets at night have dwindled down to only 17 towers remaining, but this system of city lighting is the last known system of tower lights to exist. The original towers were bought from the city of Detroit, installed by the Fort Wayne Electric Company in 1894-1895, and were turned on May 6, 1895. They have been used continuously since then and have been off for only a few short periods (1). Each tower is a triangular shaped 150 foot high structure of steel that has six large lamps on its top. This is mounted on a 15 foot iron pedestal that is embedded in concrete. The towers are held securely by a system of steel cables (guy wires), giving the towers a total height of 165 feet (2). The first lights were carbon arc. In the 1920's the lights were converted to incandescent lights, and in 1936 the lights were again changed to mercury vapor. The carbon arc system provided enough light to see the time on a pocket watch within a 3,000 foot diameter circle around the towers. Today's mercury vapor lights provide less light (covering only four square blocks) but are more efficient (1). The Austin system of lighting towers became a state landmark in April 1970, were listed in the National Register of Historical Places in 1976, and were designated a state archeological landmark in 1981 (1,3,4). From 1993-1995, Austin authorized all remaining towers to be dismantled, maintenanced and restored. A replica of these Moonlight Towers was installed in Zilker Park in 1965 from which the tradition of the Zilker Tree began and continues as an Austin Christmas tradition (5).

Source references:
(1) Moonlight Towers - Austin, National Register Listing (visit link) ,
(2) Wikipedia, (visit link) ,
(3) Moonlight Towers, Austin's - Austin, Historical Marker (visit link) ,
(4) Austin "Moonlight Towers" - Austin, State Archeological Landmark, (visit link) ,
(5) (visit link)

Street address: 1115 West 12th Street Intersection of W. 12th Street and Blanco Street (SW corner) Austin, TX USA 782703 County / Borough / Parish: Travis County, Texas Year listed: 1976 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1875-1899 Historic function: Government Current function: Government Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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