A Swedish icon returns to Chicago

The historic blue and yellow water tower in Andersonville is making a comeback after two years' absence from the museum roof. 

  • The Andersonville water tower painted in traditional Swedish colors atop the Swedish American Museum in Chicago.

  • After three years of missing the historic blue and yellow Andersonville water tower that had to be removed from the roof of the Swedish American Museum, a replica is being assembled in the museum’s nearby parking lot, getting ready for installation.

  • The water tower gets rebuilt in the parking lot. July 2017 photo by Swedish American Museum in Chicago

  • The tank was removed from its historic location on the museum’s roof after it was damaged beyond repair during 2014’s extremely harsh winter. The three-story building that's now the Swedish American Museum was originally built for the Lind Hardware Store in 1927 by Swedish architect Anders Norman. Water from the wooden tank served as a fire-suppression system for more than a century, but the replica, which is made of fiberglass will not contain water. Funding for the replacement was realized through large and small contributions.

  • The wood Andersonville water tower stands in the parking lot after it's removed from the roof in 2014, awaiting a prognosis for its future. It would eventually need to be taken apart and is now being rebuilt in fiberglass.

  • The Swedish American Museum relocated to the vacant building in 1987, and the tank was painted in the colors of the Swedish flag about 20 years ago. It has been considered a beacon of the Andersonville community, even as the neighborhood has gentrified and become more diverse.
    Follow the progress in photos at www.facebook.com/SwedishAmericanMuseum
    and www.instagram.com/swedishamericanmuseum