Thursday, August 13, 2009

Our cup runneth over: Lexington, Kentucky's Dixie Cup water tower




I love looking at water towers while driving around the country. They come in all shapes, sizes and styles and every one is a gem, especially the ones that proudly announce the name of their community in big letters for all to see or ones that have a bit of whimsy painted on them. A particularly awesome tower is in Lexington, Kentucky, a town with a few other great eccentric roadside attractions (see previous posts). On the property of the Georgia-Pacific plant is a water tower in the shape of a giant Dixie cup. In 1958, the Dixie Cup Company decided to have their tower function as a giant beacon of corporate branding and the cup water tower was erected. I've read that the current owners, Georgia-Pacific, wanted to take the tower down but the city wouldn't let them because the tower serves as a navigation device for the nearby airport. I'd love to hear a tape of the air traffic control booth in this area: "Roger, niner, you're cleared for landing. Bring her in just past the Dixie cup." If Georgia-Pacific was upset about this you wouldn't know it because they do a nice job of maintaining the tower and it really does look like a Dixie cup. Corporate America should be commended for maintaining classic roadside attractions like these, and I ain't just whistling Dixie.

4 comments:

The Viewliner Limited said...

I love this kind of stuff. Very, very cool!

Anonymous said...

//"Roger, niner, you're cleared for landing. Bring her in just past the Dixie cup." //

I actually snorted when i read that, I could totally hear it - that's great :oD

+10 points if you can find a Greek diner cup water tower, too!

Gunnar and Sherry said...

Thanks, Richard!

Fuzzy: Thanks! I'd love to see a Greek diner cup too. Seems like it would be a good fit on a building top in Manhattan.

Anonymous said...

Great Post...I love water towers like this...this one reminds me of the giant dixie cup at the factory...

I've passed through Lexington, but never noticed the water tower...