Washburn Park Water Tower, Water tower in Tangletown, Minneapolis, US.
The Washburn Park Water Tower is a water tower in the Tangletown neighborhood of Minneapolis, with a cylindrical body set on a broad stone base. Eight sculpted birds are evenly spaced around the top of the tower, giving it the appearance of a crown.
An earlier water facility on this site was built in 1893 to supply the Memorial Orphan Asylum, before the city of Minneapolis took it over in 1915. The current tower was built as part of a broader effort to bring running water to the growing neighborhoods on the south side of the city.
The eight birds crowning the tower were modeled after an eagle that attacked architect Harry Wild Jones near his home. Jones carefully measured the bird before designing the sculptures, which gives them an unusually naturalistic form that visitors can observe up close.
The tower is easy to reach on foot from Washburn Avenue and can be seen from several angles in the surrounding park. It is not open to the public inside, so stepping back a little gives the best view of the sculpted birds at the top.
Pilots approaching Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport have used this tower as a reference point during their descent for decades. A structure that looks purely like a city landmark has quietly played a role in aviation navigation for the region.
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