Thank you, everyone! I too like the idea of turning it into an apartment and offering it as a residency but that's just too expensive. I expect we'll fix the rotten parts and I'll have a nice potting shed on the ground floor to replace my decrepit old greenhouse that we demolished a couple of weeks ago. But we will keep daydreaming about it and maybe some greater purpose will rise to the surface. It was fun to hear from you all. I'll keep you posted.
Oh my gosh what a total dream to be able to put work into that and make it a special and useful spot!! My mind is exploding with all the things I would want to do with it 😂
Start a GoFundMe - share your plans to renovate above floors into a studio space that artists can rent out or use for artist residency program. the funds raised could supplement cost of renovation and depending on amount raised could also assist in funding a residency program.
This reminds me of the book "The Way of Wizards" In it they had a cross section of a wizard's tower. If it were my tower, I would have a library, one wall of which would be a curiosity cabinet, and a very comfortable hammock/ swing type set up. I would make the top floor all windows, if it could be structurally sound, so you could have an observatory and make a place where you could set up a telescope to watch the stars and sunsets, and I would set up a train/mini village on one floor so you could have a place to play with puppets and dolls and whatnot. You could put a bed in there so it could be a guest bedroom and therefore functional.
Thank you for showing the view out the 3rd floor window! Can you put in windows on the other floors? How about window boxes with trailing vines with those new windows? Does it have a ladder or a winding staircase? By the way, my older sister told me when I was 4 that skeletons live in water towers and that dripping sound was their clicking bone heels. Terrified me! I assume now (at 65 years old) that this water tower doesn't have skeleton tenants. :)
I think others may agree, but I’d be one of the first to sign up to stay at Carson Ellis’s Airbnb — and I’m in Wisconsin. I think Sophie Blackall actually has retreats on her property? Women’s retreats!
Put artist studios on floors 2 & 4 and bedrooms on floors 1&3 and invite artists from around the world to do residencies in the Slowpoke Water Tower of Creativity. Once a year, in the summer, I'd put a long long table on the grass outside the water table with lots of candles and host all the artists for a magical dinner. Their art would be exhibited outdoors that evening and later sold online to support both artist and Water Tower.
Yes!!!! That’s what I thought as well - an artist residency … tho that means that you will need to administrate it- which is WORK. I wonder if you could recoup some of the expenses of renovations through fee for residency time. Are there any grants available towards increased cultural assets in Oregon?
The Inn at Locke House is an 1852 farm built by my great great great grandfather in Lockeford, CA. It's water tower was built in 1887, so close in age to yours, although only 3 floors. When it passed out of the family in the 90s it became a bed and breakfast and they made a wonderful private suite out of the water tower. They don't seem to have their own website anymore but are on all the major hotel, bnb, vacation sites so you could check it out for ideas. If you look at the rest of the house, they've kep much of the original furniture and it's rather incredible! (Lotto winning dream would be to buy it back, even if it's in a rather unpleasant part of California)
Thank you, everyone! I too like the idea of turning it into an apartment and offering it as a residency but that's just too expensive. I expect we'll fix the rotten parts and I'll have a nice potting shed on the ground floor to replace my decrepit old greenhouse that we demolished a couple of weeks ago. But we will keep daydreaming about it and maybe some greater purpose will rise to the surface. It was fun to hear from you all. I'll keep you posted.
treehouse clubhouse at the top, fire pole down the middle.
Yes on the fire pole! Though I don't know if four flights is...a lot to descend. Maybe two? That would be super fun, though!
Put a bath at the top - a hot tub!
Oh my gosh what a total dream to be able to put work into that and make it a special and useful spot!! My mind is exploding with all the things I would want to do with it 😂
Can it be fixed up enough for someone to live there? A teenager? A friend between jobs? An artist residency?
I was thinking the same thing.
A residency would be so cool
Paper plane launching tower
Studio at the top! Then rent out the floors below to other artists. Water Tower Cooler!
clubhouse
Start a GoFundMe - share your plans to renovate above floors into a studio space that artists can rent out or use for artist residency program. the funds raised could supplement cost of renovation and depending on amount raised could also assist in funding a residency program.
This reminds me of the book "The Way of Wizards" In it they had a cross section of a wizard's tower. If it were my tower, I would have a library, one wall of which would be a curiosity cabinet, and a very comfortable hammock/ swing type set up. I would make the top floor all windows, if it could be structurally sound, so you could have an observatory and make a place where you could set up a telescope to watch the stars and sunsets, and I would set up a train/mini village on one floor so you could have a place to play with puppets and dolls and whatnot. You could put a bed in there so it could be a guest bedroom and therefore functional.
Thank you for showing the view out the 3rd floor window! Can you put in windows on the other floors? How about window boxes with trailing vines with those new windows? Does it have a ladder or a winding staircase? By the way, my older sister told me when I was 4 that skeletons live in water towers and that dripping sound was their clicking bone heels. Terrified me! I assume now (at 65 years old) that this water tower doesn't have skeleton tenants. :)
Artists of many flavors retreat house.
A super cool air b and b slash artist residency slash farmette intern living space.
I think others may agree, but I’d be one of the first to sign up to stay at Carson Ellis’s Airbnb — and I’m in Wisconsin. I think Sophie Blackall actually has retreats on her property? Women’s retreats!
I'm also in WI and would too lol
I just learned of a place in CA that turned old water towers into soaking tubs...!
Put artist studios on floors 2 & 4 and bedrooms on floors 1&3 and invite artists from around the world to do residencies in the Slowpoke Water Tower of Creativity. Once a year, in the summer, I'd put a long long table on the grass outside the water table with lots of candles and host all the artists for a magical dinner. Their art would be exhibited outdoors that evening and later sold online to support both artist and Water Tower.
Yes!!!! That’s what I thought as well - an artist residency … tho that means that you will need to administrate it- which is WORK. I wonder if you could recoup some of the expenses of renovations through fee for residency time. Are there any grants available towards increased cultural assets in Oregon?
The Inn at Locke House is an 1852 farm built by my great great great grandfather in Lockeford, CA. It's water tower was built in 1887, so close in age to yours, although only 3 floors. When it passed out of the family in the 90s it became a bed and breakfast and they made a wonderful private suite out of the water tower. They don't seem to have their own website anymore but are on all the major hotel, bnb, vacation sites so you could check it out for ideas. If you look at the rest of the house, they've kep much of the original furniture and it's rather incredible! (Lotto winning dream would be to buy it back, even if it's in a rather unpleasant part of California)