The historic water tank at Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School was rescued from the Galvin Manufacturing Co. at 1327 W. Washington. This tank was included in Larry Green’s photographic survey and subsequent book titled Water Tanks of Chicago: A Vanishing Urban Legacy. Historic features such as the conical roof, roof pinnacle, riveted seams, and catwalk railing have all been preserved and made usable. The relocated 20 foot diameter steel tank weighs 12.2 tons and can hold over 39,000 gallons of water.
The tank has been restored and will be installed on new masonry walls in a location overlooking the school’s vegetative roof. The tank serves as a storm-water capture cistern for irrigation of the vegetative roof. The tank and vegetative roof are visible from the school’s third floor library and are intended as an educational device for this science-oriented school.
