The stone tower, located on the south side of Jackson Street, just west of Heisley Road, has been a fixture for over 100 years. Thousands of cars pass this familiar Mentor landmark each day, yet few, if any know what it is.
The structure was built in the early 20th Century by rosarian Michel Horvath, whose stone farmhouse still stands on the north side of the street. Back in the day, the farm included rose fields, a cider mill, and this stone tower – which served as both an icehouse and water tower for the farm.
During the winter, chunks of ice hewn from Lake Erie, were hauled and stored in the bottom portion of the tower for cooling well into the summer. Meanwhile, water was pumped to the upper portion of the structure from a nearby natural spring. The ingenious design used piping and gravity to feed the water back to their barn to run the cider mill.
With the arrival of city water and refrigeration, the structure eventually outlived its usefulness but due to its hearty construction, stood the test of time. It was repaired in 2007 and stands as a stalwart reminder of a bygone age.
The tower is located on private property at 6653 Spring Gardens Drive and is not accessible to the public, but is visible from Jackson Street.
Learn more about other waypoints on the Mentor History Trail.