Tin Man leads Oregon, WI, on yellow brick road to more art

A water tower that looks a lot like a beloved character is leading Oregon, Wisconsin, down a yellow brick road of possibilities. The village wants a restoration project to essentially turn the area into an art gallery. Here's how.

When you drive into downtown Oregon, you'll notice a tall, silver, metal water tower standing proud in the heart of the area. It's been there for a long time and hasn't been used for its primary function for a while now. Making the case to keep something that's old and not used doesn't typically hold water.

"It's become sort of this icon," Randy Glysch, village president, said.

It's a different story in Oregon, Wisconsin.

"It lights up," Glysch said, referring to the water tower.

So do people when they see it. The 100-year-old water tower actually has a nickname.

"We discovered it's of the tin man style. So, that's how everyone refers to it. The the tin man," Glysch said.

You know, the Wizard of Oz character without a heart. Glysch says the Tin Man was drained long ago to make way for newer, bigger towers.

"If you would've seen it before we restored it, you probably would've said, 'it should probably be torn down,'" Glysch said.

Instead they spruced it up along with its pumphouse, which is now an art gallery.

"It really helps in strengthening the fiber of the community," Francine Tompkins, president of 14 South Artists, said.

This historical masterpiece plays into a bigger effort to bring art outside to the community. Oregon raised the money to have local artists make a sculpture of the Tin Man. The village mascot will be in this area to greet people as they drive in.

"Art just makes people feel good," Glysch said.

It doesn't stop there. Glysch hopes this sculpture is one of many, and soon that could be a reality.

"We want to put them all over the village and then create a walking, like a map, a tour," Glysch said.

The goal is to have local artists create different sculptures, and give Oregon a stronger public art presence. They'll be more than just something to look at. There's also a strategy to making a sculpture walk.

"It helps our businesses. People come here and visit our shops and coffee houses and it creates a sense of place. Sense of pride for the community," Glysch said.

It all goes back to this old water tower. The people of Oregon could've torn it down, but decided to work together to build something greater.

"For people enjoying the art, there's some connection that gets made," Tompkins said.

Like the character in Oz, this Tin Man is empty. If you look closely, though, you'll find he's had a heart all along; beating within the community.

"It sort of gives you an identity," Glysch said. "Some sense of place, some sense of belonging, away from the negative stuff. The public art, people can see it and it puts a smile on their face."

The Tin Man is on both the state and national historic registries.