The water tower outside Kinnick Stadium was a signature feature long before the Hawkeyes put their stamp on it with a Tigerhawk. Like the ivy at Wrigley Field or the waterfalls at then-Royals Stadium, the appearance of the water tower was always an early benchmark of “if it’s in the game, it’s in the game.“

But the reality is it’s not a stadium decoration – the tower provides water storage for the entire University of Iowa campus.

And anyone who’s spent any time near the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics over the years knows one thing: Change is inevitable.

So here’s the bad news: The iconic water tower, with its Ferentz-approved Tigerhawk logo finally added in 2018, will be torn down to make room for a new hospital inpatient tower.

The good news for those of you sustained by water: A newer, bigger water tower will replace it … northwest of the football practice fields.

Construction on that tower is expected to begin in September and should be completed before the end of 2024.

Then the tower overlooking Kinnick Stadium will be torn down in spring 2025.

But as a wise synthezoid once said, “A thing isn’t beautiful because it lasts.”

You can find details of the (much more important) hospital project here.

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