After a years-long fight to save the old water tower in McLean, work is now being done on the Depression-era relic that a community group hopes will help fuel a renaissance in the village of about 700 residents.
The nonprofit CORE of McLean [Community Organization for Revitalization and Expansion] negotiated an agreement to buy the decommissioned water tower from the village last year for $1 and is working to paint and refurbish the tower in time for the Route 66 centennial celebration next June.
That came after months of tense negotiations and a previous effort by the village to sell it to someone who planned to move it out of McLean, about 20 miles southwest of Bloomington-Normal.
Critics viewed the tower as an eyesore and a safety risk that no longer had value, since it was decommissioned in 2017 after the village built its replacement.
CORE of McLean Vice President Jeff Hake said the tower was built “like a battleship” and has a much longer life expectancy now that it no longer holds water.
“We’ve been told that if some disaster came through here, this is one of the last things that will go down. A structural engineer told us that,” Hake said.
Hake said the tower has historical value for the village as early 20th century growth necessitated a way to store its water supply.
“It’s really a symbol that McLean was coming into the modern era,” Hake said of the tower that was completed in 1935.
CORE of McLean sees the tower along Route 66 as a tourist attraction that can help the village capitalize on all the attention being paid to the Mother Road’s 100th anniversary next year.
The tower restoration is being done as the Route 66 bike trail extension to McLean is getting set to open. CORE put a bike rack along the trail just below the tower.
“It’s also a place for history enthusiasts to stop. The village of McLean is right on historic Route 66, and we sort of feel it’s an underutilized opportunity for the village of McLean."
CORE also added a park near the tower, a community garden, an adopt-a-pot program and new murals among its beautification efforts along with various community events
“We’re just trying to do projects that will make it a nicer place to live,” Hake said.
Restoration
CORE hired a contractor, Hydro-Vision of Mount Vernon, to restore the tower’s exterior, which includes removing rust and giving a fresh coat of paint, a project that’s nearly finished. The nonprofit has also commissioned a new mural for the top of the tower that it plans to unveil ahead of the Route 66 centennial.
The renovations cost about $40,800, which Hake said are being covered partly through grants from the Landmarks Illinois Preservation Heritage Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 grant program, along with financial and in-kind donations from the community.
Hake said the group’s costs are covered, including the initial $8,000 in preliminary studies and legal fees. He said fundraising has started for the mural, but that costs have increased so CORE is seeking additional grants and donations to fill the gap.
Hake said he appreciates the community’s support for the tower restoration after what had become a contentious issue. He sees the tower as part of a larger effort to transform the village at a time when many smaller communities are struggling.
“McLean has gone through the same thing that unknown numbers of other small towns in the Midwest have gone through of the economy and the prosperity of its people getting slowly sucked away. We want to bring some of that back,” Hake said.
