Patch Classic: A Journey Inside the Forbidden Tower Water Tank

Water is a major topic in Western Springs right now, so much that it's easy to forget that the most indelible image of the Village is itself water-themed, or at least used to be. Residents see the exterior of the Water Tower every day, but few if any have ever gone inside. We , and, in the spirit of water being topical, present the article we ran then:

It is, of course, the most famous landmark in Western Springs: our iconic Tower. Its bottom two floors are well-known as the Historical Society’s museum; its third floor is now an educational playroom.

But above that, behind the brick façade well known to every Village resident, lies a sight very few have ever seen: an abandoned 133,000-gallon steel water tank, 25 feet in diameter and 43 feet high. And it is very much off-limits to the casual tourist.

A trip up a claustrophobia-inducing ladder leads directly into the tank itself: a pitch-black cylinder with a funnel-shaped floor. Around its base lies various debris: paint cans, discarded light bulbs. Looking up, one can see the familiar shape of the Tower’s conical spire.

It’s “very rare” that anyone comes here, says acting Municipal Services Director Matt Supert—although recently municipal services did indeed come, to fix a leaking window.

Back in the 1960’s, a 12-year-old boy named Tom Horn and his friends tried to sneak in—but were caught and thrown out. Horn, who now lives in Austin, Texas, blames his friends for laughing and getting them caught.

“I wasn’t going up there to vandalize it or steal anything,” he said. “I was just curious… The main thing I remember is how disappointed I was with my friends.”

Horn says he’d still like a change to see experience what he failed to reach five decades ago.

“I’ve always been fascinated by stuff like that.”

With some help from Supert, we at Western Springs Patch were lucky enough to have a chance to photograph this remarkable, little-seen side of a National Registry of Historic Places landmark. Click through the photos above to follow our journey!

For more information about the tower (it was once the town jail!), check out this great article from the Western Springs Historical Society.

Since we first ran this article, Matt Supert has dropped the "acting" from his title of Director of Municipal Services. The Tower is slated to recieve an upgrade this year with new stairs at its base (the quasquicentennial gift), but the tank remains off-limits.