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Witch's Hat Water Tower

Witch's Hat Water Tower line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The drawing of the Witch's Hat Water Tower was completed in 1993. At one time, I had hoped to complete drawings of all of the notable water towers in the Twin Cities. That was a goal yet to be achieved, even after all these years. Made less likely by the fact that I left Minnesota back in 1999. Even so, these early drawings helped establish a style of illustration which I still use to this day, as I became less dependent on line and incorporated more stipple into the images. The drawing is based on photos I took and sketches made near the tower.

Information about the Witch's Hat Water Tower:

The Witch's Hat Water Tower is located in the historic Prospect Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. The park dates back to 1874, when real estate magnate Louis Menage began to lay out the foundations for new subdivisions in this area of the city. The tower itself, designed by architect Frederick William Cappelen, was built in 1913. It is one of the few remaining towers in the city. It held 150,000 gallons of water when it was active. It is believed that the Bob Dylan song "All Along the Watchtower" was inspired by this tower, which resides on one of the highest points in the city and would have been easily visible from the "Dinkytown" area in which Dylan once lived. The tower was decommissioned in 1952 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.