Three years ago, residents of Andersonville were heartbroken when its Swedish flag water tower was removed for safety reasons. But today is a day to celebrate: The neighborhood’s iconic structure has officially been restored to the roof of the Swedish-American Museum (5211 N Clark St). As of today, the tank looms over Clark Street once again, and all is right with the world.
The wooden water tank was originally built in 1927, and the Swedish-American Museum painted it blue and yellow in the mid-‘90s. The “water tank” that was installed this morning is a fiberglass replica and will not actually contain water. Check out what the replica looks like mid-assembly:
The original water tower was removed in March 2014, after the Polar Vortex winter destroyed it beyond repair. As an iconic symbol of the historically Swedish-American neighborhood, the community was understandably disappointed to see it go—so disappointed, in fact, that more than $165,000 was raised to replace it. The rest of the cost was covered by the Swedish-American Museum. Now let's head to Hopleaf for a celebratory beer!
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