Weird California
Weird California
Weird California - By Joe Parzanese

Fruit Cocktail Water Tower

Map 490 West California Street, Sunnyvale, California 94086

The Libby Water Tower in Sunnyvale
The Libby Water Tower in Sunnyvale

The Libby Water Tower was the water tower and primary source of water for the old Libby's cannery, a fruit packing factory It still stands in Sunnyvale and it's in the shape of an old fruit cocktail can. The can is 25 feet tall and 15 feet across. It stands about 150 feet in the air. The water tower can hold about 150,000 gallons of water.

Although the cannery was torn down in 1985, the water tower was spared. Originally, it was a seventies era can, but, it was initially painted over removing the can from the skyline and replacing it with a normal water tower. After public out cry, the can was reverted and repainted back to represent the first Libby's label.

Libby Water Tower
Libby Water Tower
Libby Water Tower
Libby Water Tower

The city has named it a historical landmark. Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration has supposedly stated that the can is a valuable navigational landmark. The Libby Cannery was the World's Largest Cannery in 1922, having been established back in 1907 by a Chicago meat packing company named Libby, McNeill & Libby. The cannery and area around it were all torn down to make way for office space.

The plaque reads:

Libby Water Tower - Libby, McNeill & Libby opened in 1907 and by 1922 became the world's largest cannery. The original tower supplied water to the cannery and its workers and was replaced in 1965 by the present structure.
Libby Water Tower
Libby Water Tower
Libby Water Tower
Libby Water Tower
Libby Water Tower
Libby Water Tower


Closest Weird

First Created: 2012-07-08
Last Edited: 2021-01-31


Subscribe to the Mailing List for occasional emails!