Before pressure valves and digital controls, American cities relied on a forgotten form of infrastructure: the standpipe. These towering vertical tubes stabilized water pressure across growing metropolises—but almost all were demolished once they became obsolete. Except in St. Louis.

Between 1871 and 1898, the city built three massive architectural towers to house its standpipes—each one more ambitious than the last. Why did St. Louis treat these utility structures like civic monuments? How did they work? And why are they still standing when every other city tore theirs down? In this episode, we explore the story of St. Louis’ hydraulic past—and the industrial monuments it left behind.