The Tower in 1995

While cleaning up some old files today, I came across the city of Oshkosh 1995 Annual Report. Interestingly, the soon to be deceased water filtration plant tower figures prominently on the cover. This is a great and sad example of "you don't know what you've got till it's gone."

The year 1995 is referred to in the historical evaluation of the tower that was prepared fof the city of Oshkosh by Cornerstone Preservation Research & Planning of Cross Plains, WI. They say this:

"In 1995 while work was being planned for the construction of the free-standing water treatment plant, it was suggested that the tower be demolished. Apparently the option was presented as fiscally motivated by Gilbert Pollnow of the city's Energy and Environment Advisory Committee. However, Public Works Director Gerald Konrad asserted the tower was "in very sound shape," and further reported the city recently had spent $70,654 on a new roof for it, and also had undertaken tuck pointing and selected brick replacement. At that time, the precedent established by the city in 1989 for saving a 100 foot smokestack from the former Pluswood Plant and maintaining it in Abe Rochlin Park was cited by Konrad, who was reported to say, "The city went to great lengths to save the smokestack on the old Pluswood property, so we thought that maybe we shouldn't be too quick in demolishing that tower."

See also Justin Mitchell's excellent post on Main St. Oshkosh.