An unexpected Iowa Hawkeye legend is getting its own commemorative bobblehead.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed, limited-edition Iowa Hawkeyes water tower bobblehead in honor of the Tigerhawk water tower on Hawkins Drive near Kinnick Stadium, which is currently being demolished.
Only 2,026 bobbleheads will be produced and sold at $30 apiece through the Bobblehead Hall of Fame’s online store.
The mini water tower went on sale Friday, July 17 and is expected to ship by December.
“We’re excited to unveil the first bobble featuring the iconic Hawkins Drive water tower, which was a staple in Iowa City for nearly 70 years,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said in a news release. “Overlooking the northeast corner of Kinnick Stadium, the legendary structure made its presence felt and was a special part of the campus scenery.”
Iowa City’s Tigerhawk water tower is being demolished
Built in 1960 with a capacity of approximately 750,000 gallons, the Hawkins Drive water tower provided a valuable water supply to much of the Iowa campus, but it has since been replaced by more effective storage methods throughout the area.
Demolition is being done on weekends from 6 p.m. on Fridays until 3 a.m. on Mondays between July 10 and the end of August.
New UI water tower serves healthcare campus
While the Hawkins Drive water tower will no longer be part of the Kinnick Stadium backdrop, the university constructed a newer, significantly larger-capacity, northwest of the football practice fields and across from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The new tower has a capacity of 2.7 million gallons of water, which will meet the needs of the growing healthcare campus and surrounding campus facilities. UI Health Care plans to build a new $1.5 billion inpatient tower, which has been delayed due to changes in federal Medicaid funding.
Iowa City Press-Citizen reporter Liam Halawith contributed to this article.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City’s legendary Tigerhawk water tower has its own bobblehead
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen | USA TODAY Network
