303 North Summit Street
Ypsilanti MI 48197
September 2022
Just the name of the town itself sings: Ypsilanti Ips sill anty.
The first Domino’s Pizza location was here in Ypsilanti.
Ypsilanti has one of the three tridges in Michigan. A tridge is a three-way bridge, sometimes called a Y-bridge for its shape.
The shore of the Huron River below the tridge is home to the Smeet Frog, a furry flying amphibian. It comes out only at night.
Ypsilanti has, of course, a high point, and this is where we are. We have chosen to visit one of Ypsilanti’s most famous landmarks. If I were to say drop your socks, would that be a clue as to what is here?
It’s a water tower. Remind you of anything?
The Ypsilanti Water Tower was the winner of Cabinet Magazine’s “World’s Most Phallic Building” contest in 2003. It has won other awards and designations such as “the brick dick” and the Best Uncircumcised Building in the World.
Rumor has it that should a virgin ever graduate from the local university, Eastern Michigan, the water tower would crumble. I am happy to report it is standing taller and prouder than ever!
The 147-foot-tall limestone tower was built in 1890. How the Victorian-era Americans at that time did not see a willy in their water tower is one of Ypsilanti’s great, ancient mysteries. It’s a whopper.
Right around the time this obelisk was erected, Paul Bunyan was making his rounds. This story may or may not be true. Sir Paul stopped here in Ypsilanti. And then he died. He was buried, and because of his impressive size in general, the townsfolk buried as much as they could manage. But one part of his anatomy in particular was just too… impressive to stay underground. Behold! Paul Bunyan’s glorious erection. The townspeople just put some bricks around it and made it an attraction.
The tower was designed by William R Coats in 1890. He showed no apparent realization whatsoever that it looked like a giant johnson.