A local tells us that this water tower in Colfax, Louisiana, hasn’t been used for the water system for about 20 years. Now, it’s just a tower to mount that antenna on.
The Prospect Park Water Tower was built in 1913, on one of the highest points in Minneapolis, to increase water pressure in the neighborhood. This functional structure was given a whimsical appearance by city engineer Frederick William Cappelen; to the delight of generations of Minnesotans to come, he topped the building with a fanciful brimmed “hat” of green ceramic tile, and hence its nickname was born. (source: Wikipedia)
The observation deck is open once a year, during the Pratt School Ice Cream Social, which is on the Friday evening after Memorial Day weekend. I’ve never been, so I’ve already got it on my calendar for next year.
Today is the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, which destroyed much of downtown and the north side of Chicago, leaving 100,000 people without homes. The Water Tower was only two years old, survived the fire sweeping around it, and in later years became a symbol of the city’s recovery from the calamity
Saw this oddly shaped cactus at The Botanic Studio, Troy, NY. Maybe it grew for a while without enough light and too much water and then suddenly got enough light so the new growth at the top plumped up, like reverse etiolation? Anyway, I like it, it reminds me of a water tower.
