Ypsilanti Water Tower

E219337

historic structure landmark water tower

The Ypsilanti Water Tower is a historic 19th-century stone water tower in Ypsilanti, Michigan, noted for its distinctive phallic shape and status as a local landmark.

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All labels observed (2)

Label	Occurrences
Ypsilanti Water Tower canonical	3
Ypsilanti Standpipe	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T1960483 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Ypsilanti Water Tower
Context triple: [Ypsilanti, Michigan, knownFor, Ypsilanti Water Tower]

A. Jumbo Water Tower
Jumbo Water Tower is a prominent Victorian-era water tower and local landmark in Colchester, England, known for its massive brick structure and distinctive nickname.
B. Chicago Water Tower
The Chicago Water Tower is a historic limestone structure on Michigan Avenue that famously survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and has become an iconic symbol of the city.
C. Historic Water Tower
The Historic Water Tower is a 19th-century limestone water tower in Chicago that famously survived the Great Chicago Fire and now stands as an iconic symbol of the city along the Magnificent Mile.
D. Enger Tower
Enger Tower is a historic stone observation tower in Duluth, Minnesota, offering panoramic views of the city, Lake Superior, and the surrounding landscape.
E. Leaning Tower of Niles
The Leaning Tower of Niles is a half-sized replica of Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa, serving as a distinctive roadside attraction and local landmark in Niles, Illinois.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Ypsilanti Water Tower
Target entity description: The Ypsilanti Water Tower is a historic 19th-century stone water tower in Ypsilanti, Michigan, noted for its distinctive phallic shape and status as a local landmark.

A. Jumbo Water Tower
Jumbo Water Tower is a prominent Victorian-era water tower and local landmark in Colchester, England, known for its massive brick structure and distinctive nickname.
B. Chicago Water Tower
The Chicago Water Tower is a historic limestone structure on Michigan Avenue that famously survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and has become an iconic symbol of the city.
C. Historic Water Tower
The Historic Water Tower is a 19th-century limestone water tower in Chicago that famously survived the Great Chicago Fire and now stands as an iconic symbol of the city along the Magnificent Mile.
D. Enger Tower
Enger Tower is a historic stone observation tower in Duluth, Minnesota, offering panoramic views of the city, Lake Superior, and the surrounding landscape.
E. Leaning Tower of Niles
The Leaning Tower of Niles is a half-sized replica of Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa, serving as a distinctive roadside attraction and local landmark in Niles, Illinois.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (44)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	historic structure ⓘ landmark ⓘ water tower ⓘ
alsoKnownAs	Ypsilanti Standpipe ⓘ linked to: Ypsilanti Water Tower
architect	William R. Coats NERFINISHED ⓘ
architecturalStyle	Romanesque Revival ⓘ linked to: Neo-Romanesque
builtFor	Ypsilanti city water system ⓘ
category	Buildings and structures in Washtenaw County, Michigan ⓘ Towers in Michigan ⓘ Water towers in the United States ⓘ
city	Ypsilanti ⓘ
completionDate	1890 ⓘ
constructionStartDate	1889 ⓘ
country	United States ⓘ linked to: United States of America
county	Washtenaw County, Michigan ⓘ
culturalReputation	frequently described as phallic ⓘ
elevation	located on the highest point in Ypsilanti ⓘ
era	19th century ⓘ
function	municipal water storage ⓘ
hasCapacity	water storage tank inside the tower ⓘ
hasShape	cylindrical shaft with domed top ⓘ
height	147 feet ⓘ approximately 45 meters ⓘ
heritageDesignation	Michigan State Historic Site ⓘ listed on the National Register of Historic Places ⓘ
historicSignificance	early municipal water infrastructure in Michigan ⓘ
locatedInHistoricDistrict	Ypsilanti Historic District ⓘ linked to: Downtown Ypsilanti Historic District
location	Ypsilanti, Michigan ⓘ linked to: Ypsilanti
material	rusticated limestone ⓘ stone ⓘ
near	Eastern Michigan University ⓘ
notableFor	distinctive phallic shape ⓘ prominent position on a hill ⓘ role as a local landmark ⓘ
NRHPListingDate	1981 ⓘ
NRHPType	structure ⓘ
owner	City of Ypsilanti ⓘ linked to: Ypsilanti
partOf	Ypsilanti municipal water system ⓘ linked to: Ypsilanti city water system
preservationStatus	preserved ⓘ
roofType	conical roof ⓘ
state	Michigan ⓘ linked to: Michigan (most of state)
status	standing ⓘ
tourism	popular roadside attraction ⓘ
yearOfEstablishment	1890 ⓘ