New Look For Zoo Water Tower
The famed Detroit Zoo water tower is about halfway through its renovation. The structure will get new paint and a brand new wrap-around graphic displaying the zoo's logo to passersby along Woodward Ave. and I-696. Zoo Director Ron Kagan got a close-up view of the work, climbing the 150-foot tower to check out the makeover. Kagan said it is a significant part of the metro Detroit landscape.
"It's funny, when you look at it on paper, or you talk about it, you ask... what's the big deal?" Kagan said.
"It's an amazing process, actually, and given the structure, which is not smooth, there are all sorts of rivets and things that were used to construct the massive steel tower," Kagan said.
"I had an opportunity a couple of days ago to see a drawing from back when they were sketching out the construction and it's quite an extraordinary engineering feat for 1928," he said. As you get close and go up and see the structure it is amazingly massive, Kagan said.
Kagan said the crews are doing an amazing job of putting on the graphic wrap and dramatic scene of the logo.
"The logo really reflects the mission, which is celebrating and saving wildlife," he said.
The water tank was shut down in 1984 due to a defective valve. Since then, it has served as a giant billboard pinpointing the Zoo's location.
Crews are on track to finish the renovation by mid-August.
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