Spacing Magazine

There’s a photo essay on Sudbury in Spacing Magazine from a couple of years ago. There are some nice shots of the Pearl Street tower. Take a look at the Flickr photo stream as well.

Photo by Shawn Micallef, Spacing Magazine

Keep the submissions coming!

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Welcome Home

Welcome Home

Photo by Matina Castonguay

Thanks to Matina for the photo of the Pearl Street tower. This excellent photo really gives you an idea as to how large this tower really is. Marina submitted her own explanation as to why she wants to save the towers:

A friend of mine was moving from Sudbury to Toronto and while she loves the big city, her heart will always belong in Sudbury. She thought of a great idea to bring home with her. One day we went out around town and took photos of everything that represents Sudbury to her and has personal meaning. One of the landmarks was the Sudbury Watertower. To her, and myself, the Sudbury Watertower is part of Sudbury. It’s like the Big Nickel, it’s what makes our skyline ours. This photo has ended up being a favourite of mine.

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Sudbury Water Tower Debate Flows On

There was an article in the Sudbury Star recently about the fate of the water towers. This blog and the art exhibition project was mentioned so hopefully that will help spread the word some more.

I encourage you to call or email the Mayor with your concerns about the pending demolition of the towers. Please wse the link at the right.

Also, join the Facebook Fan page to join the conversation. Also, leave your comments on the blog, we’d love to hear what you have to say.

Click here for the article, and keep submitting your photos and artwork, they’ve been great.

Photo by Andre Guitard

The above photo was contributed by André Guitard. Thanks again, André.

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Restoration Costs

It’s been noted in local media that the cost of repainting/restoring the water towers to their original conditions would cost upwards of $750,000 to $1.5 Million.

Photo by Pete Paradis

While we’re sure most of us think that number is exaggerated, it is hard to say by how much. Until recently, anyway. Pete Paradis of Green Sudbury has done a bit of research and has come up with some other water tower renovation budgets and price tags for renovations.

His research shows that Sudbury’s estimates for repainting could be much more than what the actual costs are likely to be.

• Studies show that a water tower in Alexandria, Ontario could have been restored for $250,000. LINK

• A water tower in Wahoo, Nebraska that was constructed in 1975 required a new protective coating and a decorative design with the Wahoo name that would serve as a source of pride for the city. Total costs of repainting and repairs to the tank interior: $96,200. LINK

• Renovations on a tower in Chillicothe, Missouri included sandblasting, priming and repainting its interior as well as cleaning and repainting the tower’s exterior. The cost of the project was $193,400. LINK

• Two water towers in Elburn, Illinois will need repainting. The costs for the repainting will be $250,000 for one and an estimated $150,000 for the other. LINK

• A 600,000 gallon water tower in Aiken, North Carolina had a renovation project (sandblasting, painting and cleaning the interior) estimated at $132,000. The Pearl Street tower in Sudbury is 1,000,000 gallons. LINK

• A water tower in Oxford, Michigan has a 500,000-gallon tower that requires either $232,000 or $347,000 in work, depending on the type of paint job. The repainting itself would cost from $65,000 or $170,000 in addition to other renovations required to keep the tower safe. LINK

• A 500,000 gallon water tower in Bethlehem, West Virginia is about to get a paint job estimated at $334,000. LINK

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Tracks

Photo by Cait Mitchell

Photograph by Cait Mitchell

Cait submitted this beautiful photo of a figure walking along some tracks towards the Pine Street (or Ash Street) water tower. Cait spent part of every summer growing up in Sudbury and says that she can’t imagine Sudbury without at least one of the towers.

Thanks for the great photo, Cait.

If you have a photo of the towers, please submit it as soon as possible. Thank you!

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Through the Leaves

Photograph by Harriet Carlson

Photograph by Harriet Carlson

This beautiful Fall photograph of the Pearl Street tower was submitted by Harriet Carlson. She submitted another great photo as well that we’ll be posting soon.

Click here for details on how to submit your own images. We look forward to seeing your contributions!

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Among the Clouds

Among the Clouds, by Eric Ainsworth

Photograph by Eric Ainsworth

This is a great submission by Eric Ainsworth. Eric currently lives in Ottawa after spending many years living in Sudbury and has a few great photos on his Flickr account.  I’ll be posting another one of his excellent water tower photos here soon.

There is a City Council meeting tonight discussing the fate of the Pine Street tower. Let’s hope they make the creative and smart choice to not destroy such an impressive structure.

What do you want to do with the towers? If you could develop one of them, what would you do to it?

Thanks for the submission, Eric. Please keep the submissions coming, we have lots more to post soon.

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Pine Street Tower: Before and After

We were interviewed today by CBC Radio Canada about the towers and their pending demolition. If you have artwork of the towers and want to contribute to the cause to save them, please submit whatever you have, we’d love to see it.

I put together a before and after demolition photo of the Pine Street tower. We love both towers and the Pine Street tower, smaller than the Pearl Street one, has a lot of charm. Here are the photos of what an interesting photograph would look like without its main element.

Pine Street: Before

Pine Street: After Demolition

Pretty boring if you ask us. Sure, the tower could use some renovations. The city’s current plan after a recent council meeting is to destroy this tower. According to the heritage council, it doesn’t have enough heritage value to be saved. Strangely, the city plans to demolish it and in its place they will install a plaque stating that a historical building once stood there.

If it’s deserving enough of a plaque so we can remember the tower once stood there, shouldn’t we just save it?

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Doesn’t it Just Belong There?

Photograph by Tennille Heinonen

Photograph by Tennille Heinonen

Another great photo by Tennille of the Pine Street tower. The title of the image asks a good question, “Doesn’t it just belong there?”

We think so. If you think so, send us your submissions. Send whatever images of the tower you have, we’d love to display them here.

The CBC Radio interview about this project aired today. Hopefully it will be available online soon so we can link to the audio.

Thanks!

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Mosaic

Mosaic

Photograph by Peter Paradis

This is a photograph of one of the towers represented in a collage at La Fromagerie Elgin on Elgin Street.

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