When the Swedish American Museum’s leaky water tank had to be removed from the institution’s roof in late March, the city’s historically Swedish enclave lost its blue-and-yellow beacon; the museum, meanwhile, lost its sprinkler system’s water source in addition to its parking lot. Dominated by the bulky wood tub trimmed with caution tape, the lot has been closed to vehicles as SAM tries to pull together the necessary funds to repair the tank and return it to the rooftop perch, where, though not functioning, it would serve as a sign. It’s not a cheap operation, with an estimated $150,000 price tag equivalent to nearly 12 percent of the museum’s annual budget.
Nordstrom says the museum is also flirting with a potentially more affordable fix—building a replica and returning the original tank “to the great beyond.”
