Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower - Collinsville, Illinois
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower - Collinsville, Illinois
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The world's largest catsup bottle in Collinsville, Illinois, marks where the Brooks catsup factory was once located on Route 66.
First named the Collinsville Canning and Packing Co, the Brooks brothers, took over the plant in 1908, operating under the name of Triumph Catsup and Pickle Company. Brooks sold the factory to the American Cone and Pretzel Company in 1920, and GS Suppiger Company purchased the plant in 1933.
Even though the company changed hands many times, it retained the Brooks name, and the catsup factory was successful. It grew, surviving the Great Depression and World War II finally closing in the early 1960s.
More water was needed for the plant's new fire sprinkler system and to ensure the company had plenty of water for their vegetable processing plant since their massive water usage affected the south side of town's water pressure. In 1947, G.S Suppiger Company requested permission from the city to build a unique water tower. The company president suggested the tower should look like one of their catsup bottles to everyone's amusement. So when it was erected in 1949, the 50-foot tall catsup bottle was large enough to hold 100,000 gallons of water, and it sat atop a 100-foot tall steel base.
After the plant closed in the early 1960s, the water tower sat empty while the plant was used as a warehouse. Finally, when the parent company decided to sell the property, the water tower, rusted out after years of neglect, seemed destined for demolition.
In 1994, Bethel Eckert Enterprises purchased the property, including the water tower. A 14-person preservation group was formed to save this historic piece of roadside architecture. The group raised more than $100,000 for the restoration work. As a result, the world's largest catsup bottle was unveiled to the public in 1995.
The Brookâs Catsup Bottle water tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 and inducted into the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame in 2008.
Copyright 2022 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
October 3rd, 2022
Statistics
Viewed 2,567 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/25/2024 at 5:03 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet