Casper’s Wells Fargo Tower Abides
Casper's most visible landmark is here to stay.
The 177-foot-tall pylon at the Wells Fargo Bank downtown will be restored, according to a news release from the company on Thursday.
"Mindful of our longstanding collaboration with the Casper community, and understanding what the pylon sign means to community members, we’re moving forward with a significant restoration of the concrete pylon," company spokeswoman Julie Fogerson said in a prepared statement.
"We anticipate beginning in the summer, when weather temperatures allow, and that the complete process will take three to four months," Fogerson said.
In October, the bank removed the signs on the tower because they had become a safety issue, she said then.
The concrete pylon itself did not pose a risk, and the company was considering what to do. Options included taking it down, producing a replica or restoring it.
The tower, nicknamed the "eggbeater" because that's what it looks like when you stand directly under it, is a highlight of Casper's otherwise mundane skyline. It is featured in many photos of downtown Casper, including tourism brochures from the Casper Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
It was designed by Casper architect Harold Engstrom, and built in 1968 to accompany what was then the Wyoming National Bank building, and is now Wells Fargo at 234 E. First St.
For a long time, it had a digital time and temperature sign.
The main bank building, completed in 1964 was designed by prominent mid-century modern architect Charles Deaton, who designed Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., and the house featured in Woody Allen's comedy "Sleeper."