What many consider one of the historical landmarks in Waltham will no longer be here. The Waltham water tower, with an elevation of approximately 150 feet, is located atop Sterns hill, near the Windsor Village apartment complex, on Lexington Street is in the process of being removed.
Built in the 1960s, the tower has had a variety of purposes. It pumps, stores and generates water. Since it's inception, until approximately a few years ago, the water in it has been used in emergency cases only."It was quite a landmark . for children," Senior Building Inspector of the City Barb Como said. Como said that during its first approximately 10 years, young residents of Waltham used to climb to the top of it, and put their names on it. But, that trend stopped when the town of Waltham decided to put a fence around it.
The tower has not been used by the city for nearly 20 years. Especially, the past few years, Como said he feels the tower is no longer needed. "It was a stand-alone tower, which became of little value," he said.

Como said that anyone who wanted to buy the property where the tower is located could buy it. But, he said the Waltham residents of Windsor Village were the only people to respond.

"The City made a decision that now, it (the water tower) becomes more a liability than an asset," Como added.

The City of Waltham has decided to lease out space for the tower. The city has entered into a lease with Windsor Village for the land that includes the defunct tower. But, the apartment complex's owners must pay for the tower's removal as part of the agreement. "The city will get approximately $12,000 in lease," Como said.

Como stressed the materials that comprise the tower, however, are not going to go to waste. The steel from it is going to be used for ships and will be superimposed onto them. Como said that the materials could be seen as a recycling commodity.

The job (of removing the tower) has gone smoothly and is being performed by a demolition company in Rhode Island," Como said. Now, the property under the ownership of Windsor Village, will be used for storage and parking.