Once an important element of Chicago’s historic urban skyline, the number of rooftop water tanks in Chicago has declined steeply. However, the Salvation Army water tank located at 509 N. Union will remain. The Salvation Army has been issued a permit to repair their water tank. This location is visible from both the Metra tracks as well as the Ohio feeder ramp, so perhaps the high visibility encouraged the Salvation Army to allocate the funds to repair their water tank.
In Andersonville, the iconic Blue and Yellow Swedish flag water tower above the Swedish American Museum was removed in 2014 due to significant damage from heavy snows. The Swedish American Museum engaged in a campaign to raise the funds to install a new replacement water tower. To date, the campaign has raised over $120,000. For the final push, this weekend the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce is inviting businesses and community members to donate items of value which will be sold to generate additional funds for the project. The drop-off location will be the Trumbull School parking lot at 5200 N. Ashland Ave. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 1.
Additional Reading
A Chicago Water Tank finds salvation, BuildingUpChicago.com, 3/17/17
Andersonville’s Beloved Water Tower To Benefit From ‘Estate Sale’, DNAinfo, Josh McGee, 3/28/17