[3] [citation needed] The park and water tower were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 for having local significance in the themes of architecture, community planning and development, and engineering.

[4] It was nominated for its associations with city planning, urban infrastructure, architectural eclecticism, and the work of architect Frederick William Cappelen.

From the beginning, the tower and surrounding parkland attracted neighbors, young and old, who picnicked under shade trees in summer and sledded down the hill's icy slopes in winter.

The tower's observation deck provided views of the Minneapolis and St. Paul skylines, and the building itself inspired many artists who captured its one-of-a-kind profile in charcoal and watercolor.

"Spurred on by eleven members of the Prospect Park Blue Birds (a junior organization of the Campfire Girls)," neighbors fought city hall and saved their tower.