Ypsilanti Water Tower "World's Most Phallic Building" - Ypsilanti, MI
N 42° 14.733 W 083° 37.481
17T E 283460 N 4680375
This water tower was selected as the "World's Most Phallic Building" is located near the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Waymark Code: WM19102
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 11/05/2023
Views: 1
The tower was designed by William R. Coats and built as part of an elaborate city waterworks project that began in 1889. Located on the highest point in Ypsilanti, the tower was built in 1890 at a cost of $21,435.63 (equivalent to $602,693 in 2021). Today the tower is frequently joked about for its phallic shape. It has become a well-known landmark in Ypsilanti, and due to the building's shape and location, the tower is frequently used by residents as a point for providing directions for visitors and residents.
The exterior was designed in the popular Queen Anne style of the period. Queen Anne design was less formal than other popular styles at the time; instead it experimented with different shapes particularly towers. Queen Anne buildings also often had more decoration than this structure.
The stone tower is located at the highest point of elevation of the city on Summit Street. The tower is made of Joliet limestone. The tower is 147 feet (45 m) tall, has an 85-foot (26 m) base. The substructure walls taper from a thickness of 40 inches (100 cm) at the bottom to 24 inches (61 cm) at the top. The reservoir holds a 250,000-US-gallon (950,000 L) steel tank. When it was constructed it had a dual purpose. Not only did it store water but the falling water also generated electricity for the city street lamps at night.
A marble bust of Demetrius Ypsilanti stands between a Greek and a U.S. flag at the base of the water tower. The city of Ypsilanti is named after this hero of Greek independence.
The tower has long been a source of humor for comedians in the Ann Arbor–Ypsilanti area, for its phallic shape; it has been nicknamed "the
Brick Dick". An urban legend holds that the tower will crumble if a virgin graduates from nearby Eastern Michigan University. In 2003 Cabinet magazine ranked the tower as the World's Most Phallic Building.-
Ypsilanti Water Tower