Forgotten Traffic Circle Tower

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Could this towering structure be a half-built ruin from an alien planet? A giant upright artistic bottle opener? No, this overgrown, weather-worn white tower in a little-used traffic circle is a tribute to Eugene McCleary (1911-1998), former mayor of Colorado Springs. It was erected in 1973, which perhaps explains why it looks like something out of Logan's Run or Rollerball.

McCleary was a champion of the city's growth during his six years in office, particularly in the light industrial park where the towering monument stands. Hewlett Packard, Ampex, and other tech companies built facilities in Colorado Springs, which might also explain the tower's futuristic appearance. It was designed by Linda Craddock, the wife of the property developer who built the industrial park.

A plaque in front of the tower calls it a "landmark structure," and although it ostensibly is here to celebrate McCleary, it gets the years of his term in office wrong.

Forgotten Traffic Circle Tower

Address:: 4335 Northpark Drive, Colorado Springs, CO
Directions:: I-25 exit 146. Turn east onto Garden of the Gods Rd, then instantly turn right at the gas station (no stoplight) onto Sinton Rd. Drive a hundred yards, then turn left onto Northpark Drive. You'll see the monument straight ahead.

Nearby Offbeat Places

The Geologic Column, Colorado Springs, CO - 2 mi.

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, CO - 3 mi.

Uncle Wilber Fountain, Colorado Springs, CO - 4 mi.

In the region:

Tribute to Eminent Poles, Denver, CO - 57 mi.

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