What are the Moonlight Towers?

The Moonlight Towers are historic, 165-foot-tall vertical truss towers that support outdoor lighting in Austin, Texas. Originally erected in 1894 and 1895 as the city's first electrical public street lighting system, they are the only known surviving moonlight towers in the world.

How many Moonlight Towers are still standing in Austin?

Out of the original 31 towers, 17 still exist today. Depending on current maintenance and storage, about 15 of these towers are standing, with only six remaining in their original locations.

What is the best time to view the towers?

The towers are best viewed at night, as they still glow. Their original carbon arc lamps have been replaced over the years with less harsh mercury-vapor lamps.

What should I check before going?

Use Gyde for context, then check official sources for current hours, tickets, construction, and closures.

Moonlight Towers in Austin

Q: What is the most famous Moonlight Tower?

The most famous tower is located in Zilker Park. It is popularly associated with the keg party scene in the 1993 film 'Dazed and Confused' and is used each December to create the Zilker Park Holiday Tree using 3,159 colored lights.

Moonlight Towers

Standing 165 feet tall, Austin's historic Moonlight Towers are the only surviving structures of their kind in the world. Erected in 1895, these iconic wrought-iron towers still glow at night, illuminating the Texas capital.

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What to know

Erected between 1894 and 1895, Austin's first electrical public street lighting system consisted of 31 individual moonlight towers spread across the city. Fabricated by the Fort Wayne Electric Company and shipped in pieces to Austin, these structures had a profound impact on residents, suddenly enabling activity after 7 o'clock in the evening. They were even credited with putting a stop to a serial killer nicknamed "The Servant Girl Annihilator." Made of rust-proof wrought iron from the Star Iron Tower Company, each vertical truss assembly stands 165 feet tall with a 15-foot foundation and is braced by guy wires. Weighing about 5,000 pounds, a single tower originally cast light from six carbon arc lamps. This illuminated a 1,500-foot-radius circle brightly enough for residents to read a watch. Over the years, the lighting technology evolved; the towers were converted to incandescent lamps in 1925, and then to mercury-vapor lamps in 1936. Today, these iconic towers are recognized as the only known surviving moonlight towers in the world. In 1970, they were designated as Texas State Landmarks, and in 1976, 15 of them were listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Currently, 17 of the original towers are accounted for, with 15 standing and others in storage or temporarily dismantled. To preserve this unique heritage, the Austin City Council passed a resolution in 2014 authorizing an ongoing $3.9 million restoration project managed by Austin Energy. The towers remain a beloved part of Austin's culture. The most famous tower stands in Zilker Metropolitan Park. This tower is popularly associated with the keg party scene in the 1993 film "Dazed and Confused," and every December, it is transformed into the Zilker Park Holiday Tree using 3,159 colored lights.

Visitor tips

View the towers after dark when their mercury-vapor lamps still glow.
If visiting in December, head to Zilker Metropolitan Park to see the tower transformed into a holiday tree with 3,159 colored lights.
Look for them in old residential neighborhoods near downtown where most of the remaining towers stand.

Nearby context

Scattered across Austin, most of the remaining moonlight towers stand in old residential neighborhoods near downtown. Walking through these historic districts allows you to spot these 165-foot-tall landmarks soaring above the tree canopy, blending 19th-century industrial design with the vibrant neighborhoods of modern Austin.

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