White Rock Pump Station

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the White Rock Pump Station in Dallas County. Now, there are two things that'll humble a Texas city in a hurry — too many people and not enough water. And in the early 1900s, Dallas had both problems knockin' at the door at the same time.

Population was climbin', droughts were stretchin' out long and mean, and the city knew it had to do something about its water supply before things got desperate. So the city engineering department got to work, and in 1911 they built this facility — the White Rock Pump Station — to bring in that additional water supply Dallas was thirstin' for. Now here's where the story gets a little unexpected, because when most folks picture a pump station, they picture something purely functional.

Utilitarian. Something that says 'we've got a job to do and we're not here to impress anybody.' But whoever was drawing up the plans for this one had a different idea. They gave it the Renaissance Revival treatment — corbelled brick, terra cotta details — the kind of craftsmanship that makes you stop and look twice at a building that was built to move water.

Over the years, the use of the place has varied, and much of its original mechanical equipment is no longer intact. But that structure is still standing, still carrying the weight of what it meant to this city. An important water utility structure, the marker calls it — and out here on the road, sometimes that's the whole story worth telling.

What the marker says

In response to increased population and extended droughts in the early 1900s, this facility was built to provide an additional water supply for the city of Dallas. Designed and built in 1911 by the city engineering department, the Renaissance Revival structure features corbelled brick and terra cotta details. Although its use has varied and much of its original mechanical equipment is no longer intact, it remains an important water utility structure. RTHL - 1989