When the Brainerd water tower was built over a four-year period from 1919 to 1922, it was the first all concrete elevated tank used by a municipality in the United States. It came to be widely known from being pictured on postcards, maps and letterheads.

The concrete tower on Sixth and Washington was constructed when Brainerd adopted a new water system. The tank had a 300,000 gallon capacity, and was raised to a height of 134 feet. The bowl was constructed in a single pouring of cement.

The tower served until 1959, when a new 1,000,000-gallon tank was constructed at a cost of about $175,000. It was drained in 1960, and since that time has been the topic of concern over its future.

Some groups feel the tower should be repaired and retained as a landmark: others feel it should be removed because of its being a safety hazard.