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Raising Money
Allison Deerr, Fundraising Coordinator at the Swedish American Museum, has worked tirelessly to resurrect the historic emblem and has been impressed by the outpouring of contributions.
“The community was saddened by the loss of the water tower since it had been a symbol of our neighborhood for nearly a century,” Deerr said. “I think everyone was disappointed to see it go and eager to have it restored. Once engineers advised us that the original had outlived its estimated lifespan and could not be repaired, we started working on a plan for a replacement.”
And now, although it has taken almost three years, these efforts have paid off. Chicagoans will soon see the familiar tower, blue with its yellow cross, grace the museum building once again. Community members are hopeful it will help regain some of the Swedish heritage the community has lost.
Replacing this beloved landmark was no easy task. The Swedish American Museum needed to raise $150,000 to replicate and install the new water tower. The museum has been fundraising in multiple ways and thankfully has been nearly successful.
“We have collected donations in person, throughout the neighborhood via a can drive, and on our website,” Deerr said. “The community has been supportive in our fundraising efforts to replace the tower, and we have been able to raise more than $120,000. Now we are in the home stretch in terms of raising the money needed to fund this project, so we are hopeful that the online estate sale will help us with the final push.”
Andersonville Chamber of Commerce organized an online estate sale in collaboration with Everything But the House, which will go live at the end of April. Proceeds will help raise the final money needed to install the water tower.