Kalamazoo Shares Memories Of The State Psychiatric Water Tower

A recent visit to the water tower sparks Kalamazoo residents to share their memories of childhood and working in the hospital and even the water tower.

After writing a story about this Iconic Kalamazoo landmark and sharing over 80 photos. I shared the story with the Vanished Kalamazoo Facebook page. There were so many memories shared that I picked a few of the best. A few I didn't share even though I'm sure the statute of limitations has run out, I didn't think I should give anyone else any ideas. Here are some of the best comments I recieved.

Mike Bannigan- No thank you, I'll just look.

 

Mary Bell-Kiel- When my children were little they called it the Gummi Bear castle after the cartoon that aired at that time. It looked very similar to that.

 

Linda BronsonI-  got up in the tower as far as the windows that go around. Worked at KRPH for 17 years. Was one of the few that got to go up in it. The spiral staircase you could look strait down because it was a grate. Got 1/2 way up and someone said Linda look at you feet and I froze. The only way I kept going was I knew I would never get a chance again. The view around Kalamazoo was spectacular. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

Christina Barnes-Bloemendaal- That was both cool and creepy...thanks for sharing a bit of Kalamazoo history.

 

David M. Smith- Anyone from Kalamazoo knows that the tower can be seen from many parts of the Kalamazoo area. When I was young, my dad always referred to it as "David's house." I looked forward to the day I might be able to visit my castle. It wasn't until my teen years that I caught on that he was implying that I might be less than mentally stable.

 

Mary Ann Krause- Thank you soooo much! My father's father was a brick mason who helped build the water tower.

And here's what I think is the best one of all. Someone else who made it to the top and I found their signature and they found the picture.

Keith Clapp- Yup, that's my name in the top of the tower near the access to get outside at the top. I did repairs on the copper roof when I worked for Wheeler Blaney Co. in Union sheet metal trades. Myself and another Tin Nokker named Dave Triesenberg (sp) did the work. I was actually up to the peak of the roof on a ladder as well. There's a photo in the Kzoo Gazette archives of the WMU campus that was taken from up there. They allowed 2 students from WMU's student newspaper to come up there with Dave and I one day to take photos.

What are your memories of this historic water tower? Have you ever made the climb? Tell us in the comments.

BONUS VIDEO: Fly over of the Former Checker Motor Corporation site