Best Paragraphs In The Sunday Newspaper Are About Water Tanks Of Chicago

Something a bit lighter and more relaxing today. The writer, Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune, brings back the nostalgic feel over the topic of the famed water tanks in Chicago.  How many times have you driven in the Windy City, spotted the large wonderful sights, poked the person in the seat alongside, pointed, and said, “Look!”.

There really are remarkable sights.

Green, an Indiana native who came here to study at the School of the Art Institute in 1971 and never left, is passionate about the tanks, writing: “They are a fascinating part of Chicago’s history and one of the city’s unique architectural landmarks.

“Though he can get a bit rhapsodic–”You see them overlooking, with silent observation, life in the metropolis”–his ardor is justified. These water tanks are nestled among the city like so many hidden jewels. Some might disagree, but we think it’s a wise choice Green made to not give us the location of the tanks. This way they are allowed to come at us as visual surprises. It took us only a few minutes of driving around the Near Northwest Side to find six of them. Just look!

They were built in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871–made of redwood, fir and cypress, and later metal–atop apartment and commercial buildings to guarantee a supply of water in case of fire and for use in some manufacturing tasks. Inevitably, they began to vanish, their number shrinking from nearly 1,000 to about 120 still in active use today.

In 2005 there was an exhibition mounted to remind us of the tanks. It was sponsored by the city and the Chicago Architectural Club and came in the form of a competition to identify new uses for the tanks.

Among the 182 entries from 19 countries: transforming them into energy-producing wind turbines, huge beehives and giant planters; painting them in the images of such local icons as Mike Ditka and Mrs. O’Leary’s cow; turning them into campgrounds or art studios.

At the time Jim Peters, director of planning for the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, said, “Church steeples and water tanks in most neighborhoods are the icons of the skyline.”

But let Green have the last word, and consider it a call to buy his book and to just look:“They have not yet gone the way of the dinosaurs, but they are nearing the point of extinction.” Technorati Tags: WaterTanks, ChicagoTribune, RickKogan, Chicago