Standing here, right in front of this magnificent structure, you feel a sense of history wash over you. This isn’t just any tower, this is a Moonlight Tower, one of only a handful remaining in Austin. Rising 165 feet tall with a 15-foot foundation, this tower served as the city’s landmark for decades. Imagine Austin in the late 1800s, with dim gaslights illuminating the streets. The Moonlight Tower changed everything.
Built in 1895, the towers were actually part of a larger project to brighten up the city. At the time, electricity was still new and expensive but the city saw the benefits of these towering light sources. The Moonlight Tower at Leland Street and Eastside Drive stands as a testament to those times. The tower originally used carbon arc lamps, which were exceedingly bright, so bright that you could actually read a watch in the light it cast. The carbon arc lamps were replaced in the 1920s with incandescent bulbs, then again by mercury vapor lamps in the 1930s. Despite these advancements, the towers still serve as a bright beacon in the night, marking Austin’s history.
The towers were a marvel of engineering and construction, shipped in pieces from Indiana and then assembled on site. These towers, like the one you are standing in front of, were not solely about light. They were a symbol of progress, of the city’s ambition to become a modern metropolis. The tower served as a landmark, guiding people, and illuminating the streets, and even today, it continues to tell the story of Austin’s growth and development.
Today, the Moonlight Towers are a cherished part of Austin’s heritage. You can find 13 of the original 31 still standing today in Austin, and another four currently being restored. You will find them in different spots across the city, but the one at Leland and Eastside Drive is a particular favorite of photographers. It truly represents the distinctive fusion of modern and classic aesthetics that is part of Austin’s charm. So raise your cameras and capture the legacy of this once-in-a-lifetime landmark.