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William Bourn hired Willis Polk, the architect behind Filoli, to design and create this temple in 1910. It was built to commemorate the convergence of three water systems in Sunol and is modeled on the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy, where three waters also meet.
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William Bourn hired Willis Polk, the architect behind Filoli, to design and create this temple in 1910. It was built to commemorate the meeting of three water systems in Sunol: two pipelines and the Alameda Creek. The design of the temple is based on the Temple of Vesta (the Roman Goddess of the home and hearth) in Tivoli, Italy–where many Roman aqueducts converged.
Before the construction of Hetch Hetchy, half of San Francisco’s water supply passed through Sunol under the Spring Valley Water Company, owned by William Bourn. The Spring Valley Water Company and the water temple were sold to San Francisco in 1930, and the temple became a popular picnic spot. Unfortunately, the temple is currently closed for repair and has no clear reopening date.
