Bernd and Hiller Becher didn't think so, or if they did they
appreciated the ugliness. Gas towers were one of the subjects of their
studies of industrial architecture. See the book at:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?sid=416CE4B4-7698-
4BD5-8831-105E9C447A5D&ttype=2&tid=4702
They were "one" of the photographers included in the Tate's recent
Cruel and Tender exhibition. While their photos wouldn't pass the
'would I want that on my wall?' test, they did have some kind of
austere appeal.
James
On Tuesday, October 7, 2003, at 01:36 am, John Hudson wrote:
Those open steel framework gas holders dotted the landscape all over
industrial northern England in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Ugly things.
jh
----- Original Message -----
From: "Moose" <olymoose@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, 06 October, 2003 09:16 PM
Subject: Re: [OM] Demise of a Landmark
We used to have variable volume gas towers here of a different design.
The tower was just an open steel framework, like permanent
scaffolding.
The part that held the gas was like a giant inverted cup. I assume the
inside was smooth and the seal was inside at ground level. Also, the
structure itself likely provided the compression weight. You could see
how full they were by their height. Gone many years ago without any
explosive fuss.
Moose
John A. Lind wrote:
There were numerous gas towers built across the U.S. during the
mid-1950's. ..........
They stored natural gas in gaseous state and the tower is a "variable
volume" design. There was a large circular and slightly domed plate
that rode up and down inside the tower on bearings as the volume of
gas storage changed. The tower was smooth on the inside and seals
around the edge of the plate. To provide a regulated pressure on the
the gass, the plate was weighted down by thousands of concrete
blocks. Those blocks had to be removed before the rest of the tower
was brought down.
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