The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a world-famous icon of Italy that attracts visitors from all over the world every year. Completed in 1334, the Tower of Pisa is 177 feet in height, contains 6 bells and leans over 15 feet.
More than 4,500 miles away, in Niles, Illinois, resides a half-size replica of the famous tower. Completed in 1934 and measuring 94 feet in height with 5 bells along with a lean over 7 feet, the Leaning Tower of Niles has a history and legacy that is distinct and different from the famous monument. It’s a history and legacy that could prove to be uniquely powerful if it’s positioned in the right way.
A Monument for Niles
Built in 1934 by businessman Bob Ilg, the Leaning Tower of Niles was essentially a means to hide a water tank that supplied water for two outdoor pools. The design was selected to honor Galileo Galilei, while the Tower itself was dedicated to all who contribute and strive to make the Earth a better place for all of humanity. The Tower was anchored it in concrete so that its lean would stay consistent.
Since 1964 it has been in the hands of the YMCA but was sold to the village of Niles in the hopes of getting it on the National Register of Historic Places. Plans to turn the Leaning Tower of Niles into the center of a new entertainment district showcase the potential of such monuments, but this transition will depend on massive changes that need to take place since there is very little for visitors to do or engage with at the location. Visitors cannot even enter the Tower.
The Leaning Tower Concert Series is a perfect example of what it would mean to create that engagement since the summertime open-air music concerts sponsored by the village provides audiences with a reason to visit the monument. Additionally, the historic nature of the bells in the Tower could create an entirely distinct reason for visitors to come to see the attraction. Plans to turn the first floor of the Tower into a visiting center where people can be told the story of the Tower and bells before they proceed up the stairs represent a major development for this potential transition.
While publications in and around Niles include images of the tower, making the Leaning Tower of Niles a true monument for the area would depend on numerous changes like the ones mentioned taking place at the site. The history of the Tower and experiences that could be enabled with it are especially unique, but turning that potential into reality is about more than cosmetic changes to the site.
Promise and Potential
It’s no coincidence that the Leaning Tower of Niles was completed 600 years after the original. It is tied to a legacy that can be leveraged in an incredible manner, and the plans to make the Leaning Tower of Niles the center of a large-scale, multi-acre development plan for the area, known as the Touhy Triangle showcase the promise and potential of the attraction.
Like other monuments that have the potential to be so much more, the Leaning Tower of Niles can become an icon for the area. The opportunity to develop different experiences around the Tower to see it make that transition is evident in these sorts of developments.
