the 4th Street sign across from the base of the tower
The Fourth Street water tower in the historic Newtown District of Tuscaloosa
Like most of the water towers in T-town the tower on the West End was painted white with crimson lettering which read, "Roll Tide Tuscaloosa Water Works". Built in 1955, with a capacity of one million gallons, the oval structure sits atop multiple legs with a skirting walkway, making it one of the largest and most interesting of Tuscaloosa's towers, especially since the concrete tower on the UA campus was razed.

This is a shot from Lurleen Wallace Blvd as one crosses from
Northport into Tuscaloosa via the Hugh Thomas Bridge.
The best ways to get to the base of the tower are
to either take the first right after crossing the Hugh Thomas Bridge (US 43 and AL 69) heading south on Lurleen Wallace and then find 4th Street afew blocks off to the west, or to take River Road (now renamed
Jack Warner Parkway), passing under the railroad
trestles then turn uphill to enter the Newtown Historic District. Take a right at 4th Street --  you can't miss the tower.
the tower has pink legs
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Tuscaloosa towers continued
York
Cuba
Malfunction Junction
Laurel
Meridian
Raceland
a link to a map of the county
City of Tuscaloosa Water and Sewer Dept.
site
Vicksburg
Thibodaux
Photos from the Hugh Thomas Bridge
Many
PDF document on the history
of Tuscaloosa's system
UPDATE: Oct. 2003
water tower draped for painting
A couple of years ago the city had the tower repainted a light blue color. This privacy curtain was temporarily hung to allow the sandblasted tower to retain a measure of dignity during the procedure. But if you knew where to stand, it was possible to see up the water tower's skirt.