55 3rd Ave. S. - City Hall, Water Tower

55 3rd Ave. S. - City Hall, Water Tower

1914 was a good year for Ellendale advancement, as it marked the completion of a new City Hall building, and the beginning of a municipal electrical generation plant. The new brick City Hall, built, across the street from the original building, was finished without incurring any debt, and it allowed the rapid improvement of city services. The building also housed the public library, which had previously been located in the Opera House building.

The area’s high-pressure artesian water supply was originally a major boast of the town. However after several decades, the pressure proved to be too small to adequately service the community. In 1917 a 110,000-gallon water tower was erected, which provided the needed pressure. Over the next 100 years many improvements were made to the water system, and in 2017 construction of a new water tower was approved.

For six decades the City Hall building housed the fire department. In 1976, when the city purchased the Redlin Implement building on Highway 281 near the middle of town, the Fire Department moved into the large service bays in the back of that building.

Ellendale’s City Hall is known for its efficient administration of public services. Ellendale’s city fathers are well aware that the quality of life and future prosperity of the town relies to a large extent on the ability to provide good, reliable basic services like water, sewer, and garbage pickup.