Flushing’s Famous Smiley Water Tower Is Coming Down

If you grew up anywhere near Flushing or even visited the area, there’s a pretty good chance you spotted the giant smiley face water tower watching over the city. Well…after decades on the skyline, its days are officially numbered.

According to MLive, the tower hasn’t actually been used for water storage in forever. Flushing switched over to county-supplied water years ago, and city officials say keeping the tower around just doesn’t make financial sense anymore.

Apparently, repairs and repainting would’ve cost around $400,000. Tearing it down will cost less than $120,000. So, it makes total sense.

CGI Digital YouTube

See Also: Allegiant Is Merging With Another Airline. What It Means for Flint

When Is the Smiley Water Tower in Flushing Coming Down?

The old tower on Sunnyside Drive is scheduled to start coming down on May 26, and a lot of people around Flushing are honestly pretty bummed about it.

Google Street View

Why Flushing Residents Don’t Want to See the Smiley Water Tower Torn Down

While it may’ve looked like an eyesore to some people, for others it was a lot more than just some old rusty water tower.

The smiley face was painted on it around 1976, and it became one of those random hometown landmarks that was just always there.

City leaders also say safety became a major concern because of rust, along with materials like lead and chromium.

Get our free mobile app

Lapeer officials have actually been dealing with a similar situation for quite a while now as they continue debating what to do with their own water tower, which has reportedly sat empty for nearly 50 years.

A new AT&T cell tower is already going up at the Flushing site, and officials say it should improve cell service around town, which is cool and all… but it probably won't hit the same as seeing that giant smiley face tower every day.