Filed Under Early Twentieth Century
E.B. Bain Water Treatment Plant
Funded by a local bond and federal public works money, the City built the Bain Water Treatment Plant on the site of the still-operating 1887 Raleigh Water Works without interrupting the water supply. The 1940 Art Moderne plant features dramatic stepped massing at the exterior and vaulted interior spaces. Soaring staircases with ornamental wrought- and cast-iron railings and oak handrails rise to a mezzanine in the two-story lobby, where ornamented plaster beams decorate the ceiling. The operations floors flank an extended arcade of molded plaster arches, with pilasters marking the bays and square clerestory windows illuminating the space. The building is now privately owned and awaiting redevelopment.
Date: 1940
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