Photo of the Day — Day 196

The Coal Tower is a Charlottesville landmark, officially listed as one of the city’s individually protected properties, which means that the local Board of Architectural Review would have to approve the demolition of the structure or any changes to its exterior.  Anyone who has spent much time in Cville has noticed it, at some point, due to its location near the Downtown Mall and its height.  The tower is near the railroad tracks, since coal used to be delivered via train, and if you stop by to check the place out, the odds are good that you’ll find evidence of occupation by homeless folks seeking some shelter from the elements.  

With the pace of construction in that part of Charlottesville, it seems like only a matter of time until someone knocks it down and replaces it with some condos.  The location is too good for it not to be developed, and once housing prices start to bounce back from the current economic unpleasantness (assuming that they do!), one could charge quite a bit for a spot this close to the Downtown Mall.

In the meantime, though, the Coal Tower remains standing.  I kind of like it, and from this angle it evokes the image of some sort of 1950s era giant robot.  I can almost imagine that the pillars at its base are legs and that they’ll one day pull out of the ground and start moving, marching the giant coal tower robot down Market Street to start stepping on buildings on the Downtown Mall, crushing parked cars, and trampling on hapless pedestrians.

Near the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, VA