NY Water Tower to Receive Delicious Redesign
A water tower is in Hamburg, New York, is getting a delicious redesign: Residents have been lobbying to get the rusty structure repainted, and late last month, a new design was chosen.
According to The Buffalo News, graphic designer Dylan Cownie won the water tower artwork competition; his creation featured what he thought people would like to see and like to eat—a hamburger.
Hamburger Tower History
Residents of Hamburg, near Buffalo, mounted a drive to have an out-of-commission elevated steel water storage tank repainted to resemble the staple of American cuisine. The multi-column Hamburg tank, within sight of the New York State Thruway, is already shaped a bit like a round sandwich anyway, and resident Chris Hannotte Luly, who graduated from the Leadership Buffalo program in 2016, made it her mission last year to bring the meaty vision to fruition.
Late last year, the town's council approved a plan for Luly to begin fundraising for the project, after determining that the tower is structurally sound, and also uncovering lead paint that would balloon the cost of the aesthetic renovation. Luly had spearheaded a petition that got more than 2,000 signatures prior to the council decision.
In August, four finalists were up for a public vote: designs by Scott Schranz of Nickle City Designs, Casey Milbrand of CWM Designs, muralist Tim Martin and RidgeLogic Development's Dylan Cownie.
Water Tower Design
Cownie told The Buffalo News that since people like lots of colors, he wanted to make his entry vibrant. He also wanted to create something that people would like to eat, so his design included a burger with “lettuce, tomato, red onion, onion ring, bacon, pickles, ketchup and mustard, all on a sesame seed bun.”
Committee organizers believe it will be another two years before the tower is repainted. The project is slated to cost from $750,000 to $1 million, and organizers hope most of the funding will come from grants and donations.
