Niles Leaning Tower Lights Up In Orange For National Public Works Week

By Tom Robb | on June 02, 2023

Niles Leaning Tower lit up in orange for National Public Works Week late last month. (Niles Public Works photo)

The Niles Leaning Tower was aglow in orange light last month during National Public Works Week between Sunday, May 21, and Saturday, May 27.

Niles Public Works staff recently installed pre-programmable lights throughout the tower for events and holidays, which allowed the unique display of orange lights, Niles Public Works Street Supt. Tony Dati said. A reflecting pool was also recently filled.

"It's still not 100% complete," Dati said in an email to the Journal & Topics. "Staff is waiting for the lights for the top of the tower to arrive so we can reinstall and illuminate flags at its (the tower's) peak." Funds for the lighting project are coming from a tax increment financing district.

Niles Leaning Tower lit up in orange for National Public Works Week late last month. (Niles Public Works photo)

The Niles Leaning Tower also contains seven large bells in a belfry at the top of the tower, dating back as far as the year 1623. Those bells have programmable external clappers allowing them to chime regularly during the day and can be programmed to pay for music for holidays and events.

The Niles Leaning Tower was built by Robert Ilg in the 1930s as a half-sized replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, made to hide cooling towers for an employee swimming pool on the site of his company's factory on Touhy Avenue near Gross Point Road.

The village of Niles took ownership of the tower from the YMCA and Ilg Family Trust in 2017. In 2019, the tower was added to the National Registry of Historic Places by the United States Park Service.

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Niles Leaning Tower Lights Up In Orange For National Public Works Week