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All the United States California Sunnyvale Libby's Water Tower
AO Edited

Libby's Water Tower

A giant can of fruit cocktail is all that remains of what was once the world's largest cannery.

Sunnyvale, California

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Eirik Gumeny
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Aerial view   ejtttje / Atlas Obscura User
  Don DeBold/CC BY 2.0
Close-up Aerial   ejtttje / Atlas Obscura User
Libby’s Water Tower   rancoratemybaby
  James Ricci / Atlas Obscura User
Libby’s Water Tower   rancoratemybaby
Libby’s Water Tower   rancoratemybaby
Libby Water Tower   LPS.1/Public Domain
  mslava014 / Atlas Obscura User
  Sorrel / Atlas Obscura User
  Sorrel / Atlas Obscura User
Drone photo   jav 6637d2d6 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In 1906, Libby, McNeil, & Libby, a Chicago-based meat-packing company, opened its first fruit-packing factory in Sunnyvale, California, shortly after the city’s incorporation.

With bountiful peach, cherry, and apricot orchards nearby, as well as immediate access to the railroad, Libby’s boomed, quickly becoming the largest employer in Sunnyvale and, by 1922, the largest cannery in the world. The factory closed in 1985 and the property was razed and turned into an office park, sparing only the water tower.

During the facility's heyday, the water tower was the primary source of water for the old cannery and had been painted to resemble a can of Libby’s fruit cocktail, updated every so often to reflect the changes in Libby’s labeling. The can is approximately 25 feet tall and 15 feet across. It stands about 150 feet in the air and is visible from several areas of the city. However when the factory was torn down, the tower was painted over, removing the distinctive Libby’s label. Incensed, the residents of Sunnyvale protested the change, and the top of the tower was repainted to look like the first Libby’s fruit cocktail label from the early 1900s.

Today, the tower still stands in the midst of a generic office park, identifying the former site of the factory that once employed nearly the entire city.

Related Tags

Fruit Water Towers Giant Food Roadside Attractions

Know Before You Go

The water tower is located in a small grassy area in the center of an office park off W. California Avenue. Once you pull into the parking lot the tower is pretty hard to miss.

Community Contributors

Added By

Eirik Gumeny

Edited By

James Ricci, ejtttje, Michelle Cassidy, Sorrel...

  • James Ricci
  • ejtttje
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • Sorrel
  • mslava014
  • jav 6637d2d6

Published

December 3, 2014

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnyvale,_California
  • http://www.examiner.com/article/the-libby-water-tower-sunnyvale-can-you-believe-it
  • http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=255
Libby's Water Tower
California Street
Sunnyvale, California, 94086
United States
37.382713, -122.035476
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Nearby Places

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale

California

Places 3

Nearby Places

Orchard Heritage Park

Sunnyvale, California

miles away

Electronics Flea Market

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Photo of Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale

California

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