Gaffney residents driving along Cherokee Avenue towards Blacksburg will have to get used to not seeing another city landmark.

Iseler Demolition Inc. tore down a standpipe water tower Monday that was located across from the old Hamrick's Clothing Store at the request of the Gaffney Board of Public Works. Built in 1910, the standpipe water tower was shaped in the form of a chimney with large vertical pipes designed to equalize water pressure.

There were once nearly 500 of these towers nationwide. Today, only seven remain. St. Louis has three of the seven - the Old White Tower, the Bissell Tower and the Compton Hill Tower.

The BPW took the standpipe water towers in Gaffney out of operation in 1991.

Instead of spending $40,000 to repaint the water tank, BPW General Manager Donnie Hardin said the Board decided it was more cost-effective to demolish the tower.

"Water tanks require continuous maintenance because of things like rust and must be repainted every seven to 10 years. It would have cost the Board $40,000 to repaint the standpipe water tower and it could be taken down for a third of the cost," Hardin said. "We were no longer able to operate the water tank as part of our water system."

The demolition was completed Tuesday.

Hardin said the utility has held preliminary discussions with the county regarding the possibility of converting the property into a park.