WITI TV Tower

WITI TV Tower

The WITI Tower was completed in August 1962 and was briefly the tallest free-standing tower in the world, rising 1078 feet. (Tokyo Tower had been the world's tallest, and after the construction of WITI's tower, it added additional members to regain the title.) For many years, it was the tallest free-standing tower in the United States. The Bentley Company was the foundation contractor for the Dresser Ideco tower, which was erected by the Seago Construction Co.

The village of Shorewood, Wisconsin allowed WITI to build the tower on a piece of privately-owned land that might have completed Estabrook Parkway along the Milwaukee River. Doing so added to the village's tax base. The WTMJ-TV and WISN-TV towers were nearby, and locating the tower there meant that Milwaukee TV viewers could point their antennas in the same general direction. However, there was no room for guy-wires on the property, and as such the tower had to be free-standing. In August 1962, construction of a 1078 foot tower at East Capitol Drive and Estabrook Parkway was completed. It was formally dedicated on 9 October 1962. WMVS leased space on the tower for many years.

WITI was looking for a way to make the tower a Milwaukee landmark, and in October 1963, the station received permission from the Shorewood village board to install lights on it. Shortly thereafter, approximately 2000 25 watt lights were installed. Station manager Roger LeGrand then coined the phrase "Milwaukee's Tower of Light". Some neighbors objected. The Shorewood village attorney opined that the lighted "6" sign might violate the village's lighted sign ordinance, but that the lights affixed to the tower's legs were legal. The village later declared the lights and the sign to be legal. (Except for special requests - such as to aid navigation on Lake Michigan during sailing races - the tower was only lit from dusk until midnight.) The lights stayed on until the energy crisis of 1973-74, when at the suggestion of a viewer they were turned off. They were finally removed in 2003 when the station began converting the tower for digital TV.

External links

* [http://www.milwaukee-horror-hosts.com/MilwTV.html History of Milwaukee television]
*
*
* http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=47199


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • WITI (TV) — For other uses, see WITI (disambiguation). WITI Milwaukee, Wisconsin Branding FOX6 Milwaukee (general) FOX6 News …   Wikipedia

  • CN Tower — This article is about the CN Tower in Toronto. For the tower in Edmonton, see CN Tower (Edmonton). CN Tower CN Tower is the world s 5th tallest free standing structure.[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Tokyo Tower — For other uses, see Tokyo Tower (disambiguation). Tokyo Tower 東京タワー General information Type Communicatio …   Wikipedia

  • Ostankino Tower — Останкинская телебашня Record height …   Wikipedia

  • Ahmad Abdulrahim Ahmad Al Attar Tower — Localisation Coordonnées …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Al Yaqoub Tower — Localisation Coordonnées …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Almas Tower — Localisation Localisation Dubaï Coordonnées …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Anara Tower — L Anara Tower est un projet de gratte ciel dont la construction, à Dubaï, devrait débuter fin 2009[1]. Le bâtiment devrait atteindre 2 150 pieds soit 655 mètres , comporter 125 étages avec des jardins répartis tous les 27 niveaux, et… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bank Of America Tower (New York) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Bank of America Tower. Bank of America Tower Usage(s) Bureaux, théâtre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bank of America Tower, New York City — Bank of America Tower (New York) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Bank of America Tower. Bank of America Tower Usage(s) Bureaux, théâtre …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”