salvaging a colossal bunte candy factory hand-painted wood water tower measuring "stick"

the other day i was looking over some of the sentimental items in one my storage rooms and i happened across a gargantuan hand-painted pine wood "stick" or gauge that was once affixed to one of three enclosed riveted joint iron reservoirs housed in the tower of the non-extant prairie school style bunte candy factory constructed in 1919.

nearly 8 years ago i obtained the salvage rights to the massive west side chicago candy factory about a month before asbestos abatement was performed to make way for the arrival of the wrecking ball (it was demolished to make way for the newly-built high school's football field). since the candy factory complex was designed by the notable firm of schmidt, garden and martin, i made every effort to seek out and salvage any and all original design elements (both exterior and interior) that had not been altered or removed when it was converted into a high school during the 1960's.

i carefully documented the factory complex through the lens of my camera, beginning in the depths of the power plant outbuilding and ending high above at the very top of the administrative tower. i spent a great deal of time in that tower, admiring the original and largely intact bunte candy factory-era elevator, the light fixtures, signage and other unique objects left untouched and mostly abandoned during the high school's occupancy.

the uppermost section of the tower was a cavernous concrete chamber designed to house three huge riveted and painted black iron water tanks or reservoirs that supplied the factory with pressurized water below. it was truly a sight to behold - especially since the tanks had not been attended to since the 1940's.

making any attempt to salvage the tanks was completely out of the question. besides, the wrecker (dmd demolition) had their eye on them for their collective scrape value. however, photodocumenting or just getting the chance to experience/explore this peaceful and spacious chamber of old and outdated iron tanks was just not enough. i yearned for a more tangible memento, that not only was three-dimensional, but also captured the experience and scale of the water tanks (two were 12 feet tall, while the much larger main tank was 26 feet in height).

fortunately, i knew exactly what to remove from this room when i first walked through the door. the unusual measuring sticks affixed to each of the tanks were so incredibly cool and  were equipped with a simple mechanical system consisting of weights and pulleys to achieve a somewhat accurate reading of the amount of water each tank was holding at any given time.

the "gauges" were strapped tightly in place against the tanks with metal brackets and contained sliding indicators supported by rope and pulley. the original hand-painted finish was amazingly intact. the carefully applied stenciled scales and numbers painted in black against a dull gray background exhibited allover crazing and discoloration. the surface patina only added visual character and a testament to their age (1919).

the brackets and auxiliary components secured to the tank were removed and the twelve foot stick was brought down several flights of stairs where creative maneuvering was required to get it to the ground and into the truck. the elevator would not have been useful if it was functional based on the sheer size of the measuring stick and the fact that the the cab was lying damaged and utterly defeated on the basement floor, surrounded by several giant concrete piles.

after lightly cleaning it, i sealed it and spent the next several years displaying it in places where twelve foot ceilings were available. as of recent, it was relegated to storage, but after bringing into my studio, it motivated and/or inspired me to do a detailed photoshoot of the lengthy sign, along with posting it on the blog with accompanying images taken nearly 8 years ago when the salvage was taking place.

some may be disappointed that it falls into the impenetrable category of "reference only," but i feel compelled nonetheless to share the unique story and photographs of its discovery and debut in the studio - espeically the close-ups of the wonderfully preserved surface patina. i'm convinced i will never have the opportunity to find a giant hand-painted measuring stick attached to an early 20th century factory water tank ever again, so i felt it was important to record its discovery.