The Rosenwach Company is responsible for many of the tanks you see when you look up. I noticed this after looking at a lot of them for a while and saw how many of them had the name Rosenwach on them....or on the trucks of the crews that were servicing them in some way.
As chance would have it, I once ran into Andy Rosenwach, the scion of the water tower company, at a business meeting and I kidded him about his family's handiwork being up on every other rooftop in Manhattan.
His response was to sputter, " We have competitors!" I don't know why he said this ( kind of funny response, I thought).
Anyway, this is an essay done by one Ronnie Farley on those water towers that I found on the internet, and a very good one it is, too....
Oh, by the way, he gets to the topic of the Rosenwachs and their relatives the Isseks ( also water tank people) in this piece...
NEW YORK WATER TOWERS
Images and thoughts inspired by the vessels of our precious resource
11.11.12
Water tower bound by cell-phone towers, Tribeca, 2010 © Ronnie Farley
Water and electricity. Water is a conductor of electricity and can
respond to currents through wood and steel. How does having cell towers
attached to water tanks affect our drinking water? What molecules are
being altered in our system by drinking electrically charged water?According to nolo.com regarding EMFs and RFs:
“Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) are produced by alternating electric currents found in electric transmission lines, plants that generate power, electric wiring, home and business appliances, cell phones, and other electric devices.
Radio frequency (RF) is one form of electromagnetic energy that is used in many types of wireless technologies — including cordless phones, radar, ham radio, GPS devices, cell phones, and radio and television broadcasts.
Walls do not block electromagnetic fields, so EMF from outside sources like power lines or nearby electrical towers can enter homes and workplaces. However, because EMF levels decrease rapidly as you move away from the electric source, exposure levels from electrical lines, towers, and cell phone stations are usually very low for most people.”
It is in my opinion that perhaps strapping a cell tower onto a water tank may not be a good idea. If walls do not block EMFs, the water inside the tank is affected. Since the human body is made up of about 70% water, how does mixing electrically charged water into our bodies alter the molecular structure of our beings? I am not a scientist, so I throw this out into the world to ponder.
10.11.12
Water tower at West 100th Street and Columbus Ave., August 2007 © Ronnie Farley9.16.12
Hudson River as seen from the train, February 2012 © Ronnie Farley
Water is LIFE. It is all that is whole and pure and clean and clear. It is the substance of our veins and organs and the nourishment of our brains and thoughts. It is the whole of the Earth and Sky. It is the carrier and transmitter of a self-realized Universe.
8.5.12
The docks at Ketchikan, Alaska © Ronnie FarleyI saw this amazing reflection walking along the boardwalk at the docks of Ketchikan, Alaska, after photographing Tsimshian artist David Boxley on the island of Metlakatla.
7.14.12
Water towers, West side, Midtown, November 2007 © Ronnie Farley6.22.12
Isseks Brothers’ tank men building a new water tank on Bleecker Street, May 2012
© Ronnie Farley
I recently had the privilege to document the building of a brand new water tank. It was a beautiful morning in late May, and the tank men welcomed me into their world several stories above the streets of Manhattan. They assisted me through the maze of scaffolding and makeshift plank walkways to reach a perch from which to shoot. The process to erect the tank, without roof, took about four hours.
I was so impressed with these men and the demanding physical energy required to build and secure a water tank. Without their kind of skills, New York City would not have proper access to water. These individuals work in all weather conditions and at dangerous heights to secure our access to water. For that reason alone, I consider the Tank Men among the unsung heroes of New York City’s infrastructure.
5.27.12
Base of new water tank in the making, on east Bleecker Street facing southwest, May 2012
© Ronnie Farley
5.20.12
World Trade Center Memorial, February 2012 © Ronnie Farley
A friend was visiting from Minneapolis recently and wanted to go down to the World Trade Center memorial. I had not been down to the site since 2001. After getting our tickets (it is free) and wading through a maze of security checks and fenced-in walkways with dozens of others, we spilled out into the open plaza lined with eastern white pines, and walked towards the two thirty-foot-deep memorial pools that are set within the footprints of the original twin towers.
The pools are constructed in black granite, and a continuous stream of water cascades down their slanted walls into a square center hole. They are bordered by bronze panels, inscribed with the names of those who perished as a result of all the attacks on September 11, 2001.
As we stood at the edge of one pool, the visual effect of the waves, and the sound of the rushing water washed over my senses and felt like a cleansing—as if a collective vacuum of sorrows and tears were falling down into an abyss. Reading the names of the victims before us on the panels was like reciting a prayer. I was especially taken by the inscription above, which gave the whole event an added footnote of innocence, and of what could have been but never had the chance. The emotional and spiritual weight of this place was eased by the fluidity of water and its regenerative properties.
The artist’s use of water as the medium for the message seems the most appropriate choice possible as a catalyst for healing, for water is the only medium that could resonate so seamlessly with the heart and spirit of what it means to be human. Water has a commanding presence here.
It stirs the senses—you see it, you hear it, you smell it, you feel it in the blowing mist. It touches at the very core of one’s physical, mental and spiritual make-up. Quiet in thought, my friend and I did not say much about the experience when we parted the site, other than mentioning it was very powerful. It was hard to reduce the experience into words, and one needed the personal space within to process.
I found out later after researching on the internet that The National September 11 Memorial and Museum competition was awarded to two individuals—architect Michael Arad of Handel Architects, a New York and San Francisco-based firm, and Peter Walker, of landscape architecture firm Peter Walker and Partners. Mr. Arad’s design proposal, originally called ‘Reflecting Absence’ in the competition entry, describe the pools as “large voids, open and visible reminders of the absence” and “representing endless tears shed for the victims.”
If an artists’ gift is the ability to help humans transcend and evolve, I laud Mr. Arad and Mr. Walker for their stellar achievement. I recommend a visit to this site as a personal, national, and global pilgrimage for healing and processing the pain that seems rampant in the world today. It is the impact of the water that will stay with you and carry you well beyond your visit, and connect you with it’s medicine.
4.20.12
West 22nd Street, Chelsea, 2008 © Ronnie Farley
4.5.12
126 Front Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn, 2006 © Ronnie Farley
3.22.12
Lake Schlachtensee in the Zehlendorf district of Berlin, September, 2011 © Ronnie Farley
TODAY IS WORLD WATER DAY
Water is essential for all life on the planet. Roughly 70 to 75% of the Earth is covered with water, yet only 2.5% of it is fresh water, found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, lakes and streams—and less than 1% of that water can be used as drinking water.
The adult human body is approximately 66 to 70% water. Our brains are 75% water, our blood 83% water. It seems the Earth and the humans upon it have the same physiological make-up regarding water. With this thought, I am reminded of the philosophy and spiritual practices of Indigenous cultures worldwide, who not only understand the human being as a mirror to the Earth, but see the Earth itself as a being who is in relationship with us. Water is an integral part of who we are. We are it, it is us.
I share a quote from Mae Tso, a Dine‘ (Navajo) grandmother from the reservation in Arizona who was speaking out against the relocation of Dine‘ off their ancestral lands:
“Through our Blessingway Ceremony, we make offerings for our children. These offerings are a central part of our religion. These offerings bind us to the land. When you make an offering to a spring for example, you tell the spring the name of your child. The child will be the springs’ child as well as yours, because the spring is looked upon as a mother to all of the people living in the general area. It raises the children into adults and they die of old age drinking from that spring. Through these offerings, the spiritual beings in the area know us and protect us. We are instructed never to leave our offering places….. If you cut out a human heart and placed it on the side, the person would die. Our Creator has placed us here on the land. We are part of Mother Earth’s heart.”
Translated by Betty Tso for the report to the Honorable Harry R. McCue Regarding the Dine’ Families’ Religious Concerns and Suggested Solutions, 1993
3.3.12
Sunset on new water tower, Midtown, 2008 © Ronnie Farley
The invention of the New York City water tower is akin to the invention of the elevator. Remnants of a by-gone era, these water towers are an integral part of New York’s history and expansion. Up until 1890, buildings in New York City were only six stories high. Water was brought to the city from upstate reservoirs using aqueducts and employing gravity to push the water up to six stories. The arrival of the elevator created the challenge of getting water to previously unimaginable heights. This problem was solved by pumping the water upward to an enormous storage barrel supported by scaffolding on the roof, to be drained downward for use. The higher the scaffolding, the better the water pressure for the upper levels of a building.
So, our ‘modern-day’ water tanks were invented by barrel-makers. One such barrel-maker, Abraham Isseks, migrated from the Russian-Polish border and in 1890, started his water tank business “Isseks Brothers” in a shop on the Lower East Side with his eldest brother David. In 1896, the business took a sudden turn with Abraham’s death from a shop accident. As a result, David was held responsible for not looking after his younger brother and was banished from the family. David went on to form “David Isseks and Sons,” and Abraham’s wife Dora took over her husband’s business. The foreman of Isseks, a distant cousin from the same region overseas named Harris Rosenwach, refused to work for a woman. So he left to form his own company, “Rosenwach Tanks.”
Dora passed the business on to her two sons, Murray and Joseph, when Murray, the eldest, was fifteen. Seventy years later, David Isseks and Sons merged back with Isseks Brothers. Today, Isseks Brothers and Rosenwach Tanks are the only remaining water tank businesses for all of New York City. With these two companies, a family’s tradition and an important part of the city’s history are kept alive.
Almost every building in New York above six stories has at least one water tower on it, although many—especially skyscrapers, have them hidden within the architecture of the top floor. The tank’s maker is identifiable by either a double-backwards letter ‘R’ for Rosenwach, or an ‘I’ for Isseks Brothers, crowning its top. These two companies make and maintain over 10,000 water tanks citywide. These tanks provide all the water needs of a building—drinking, showering, toilets and fire protection, and their construction has not changed in over a century. Wood is used because it absorbs water and it also tastes better. As water is pumped into a new tank, the wood swells and creates a seal against the metal hoops that band the circumference of the tank.
These wooden vessels, perched high on their thrones are contemporary icons symbolizing the delicate balance of our urban existence. Water is life, no matter where you live. It is an odd juxtaposition to have the elixir of life hidden in plain view amongst the giants of man’s creation. Isseks Brothers and Rosenwach Tanks have the daunting task of keeping New York a viable city. For without water, there would be no city. For that alone, these tanks, and those who make and maintain them—especially the Tank Men who risk harm out in the elements to erect, secure and care for them, are the bearers of an enormous responsibility. They are the silent heroes of our times.
2.12.12
Morning Fog, Hudson River, Beacon, New York, Autumn, 2009 © Ronnie Farley
Excerpt from an interview with Dottie Chamblin, Makah elder from Neah Bay, Washington, June 19, 2011:
“My dad used to say, ‘You want to be like this glass of water.’ He said, ‘This glass of water is clear. When that glass of water gets muddy, if people see you coming, they are going to cross the street, so they don’t have to even say hello to you.’
The water represents the truth. And this was even before the bible came. This is our teaching. It represents the truth. So when the people see you like a clear glass of water, they’re going to know that whatever they say to you is going to be truthful and honest.
[Water] is also a symbol. Some of our men folk, they take that glass of water and they’ll drink it, as they’re speaking, because that’s the power of the Great Spirit—as they speak. You can’t just open your mouth and say words, because some of the words might hurt some of the people spiritually. So you have to take that water and drink it, because everything that you’re going to say is like water for thirsty people.”
2.1.12
Above: Water tower seen from 11th Avenue and 30th Street, 2006 © Ronnie Farley
The water towers of New York City have always inspired a bit of awe within me. I’ve been intrigued by these cylindrical wooden steins since the first day I arrived in the city, almost thirty years ago. I noticed them right away because they are the only natural-looking structures in our urban panorama, adding a certain whimsey to the brick, mortar and steel landscape.
As I began to really look at and photograph these barrels, the more personified they became. Some were tall and thin, others were squat and wide. Some looked like families huddled together, and others seemed to have faces. All seemed to be wearing top hats.
When I asked seasoned New Yorkers about the purpose of these vessels, I was surprised to learn they contain the most important ingredient for survival on Earth—water. This epiphany gave them a more serious aura, and sealed my adoration for them. Though dwarfed by the skyscrapers of our era, their uniqueness and purpose stand tall and righteous against their imposing neighbors. These silent sentries to our human world have a presence—they have witnessed history unfold below and all around them for decades.
Sadly, these beautifully engaging water towers are beginning to disappear from our view, as more and more high-rise office buildings and luxury apartments ascend the sky and swallow them in the shadows of their canyons. Soon, New Yorkers will lose the one visual reminder, among the urban density, of a connection to the natural world and the delicate balance of our existence.
In honor of the Chinese New Year—The Year of the Water Dragon, this site is a dedication to the water towers of New York City and a place to share images and thoughts inspired by water.
Ronnie Farley
The water towers of New York City have always inspired a bit of awe within me. I’ve been intrigued by these cylindrical wooden steins since the first day I arrived in the city, almost thirty years ago. I noticed them right away because they are the only natural-looking structures in our urban panorama, adding a certain whimsey to the brick, mortar and steel landscape.
As I began to really look at and photograph these barrels, the more personified they became. Some were tall and thin, others were squat and wide. Some looked like families huddled together, and others seemed to have faces. All seemed to be wearing top hats.
When I asked seasoned New Yorkers about the purpose of these vessels, I was surprised to learn they contain the most important ingredient for survival on Earth—water. This epiphany gave them a more serious aura, and sealed my adoration for them. Though dwarfed by the skyscrapers of our era, their uniqueness and purpose stand tall and righteous against their imposing neighbors. These silent sentries to our human world have a presence—they have witnessed history unfold below and all around them for decades.
Sadly, these beautifully engaging water towers are beginning to disappear from our view, as more and more high-rise office buildings and luxury apartments ascend the sky and swallow them in the shadows of their canyons. Soon, New Yorkers will lose the one visual reminder, among the urban density, of a connection to the natural world and the delicate balance of our existence.
In honor of the Chinese New Year—The Year of the Water Dragon, this site is a dedication to the water towers of New York City and a place to share images and thoughts inspired by water.
Ronnie Farley
