tower

tower, structure, the greatest dimension of which is its height. Towers have belonged to two general types. The first embodies practical uses such as defense (characteristic of the Middle Ages), to carry bells, beacons, or antennas, and to utilize maximum floor space in a given area, as in modern skyscrapers. The second type is used to symbolize the authority and power of religious and civic bodies, as in the churches and town halls of Europe; skyscrapers also perform a similar function for modern corporations. The earliest use of tall structures for ritual and symbolism is seen in the Babylonian ziggurat. The temple architecture of India had a variety of pyramidal and cylindrical masonry towers. The many-storied pagoda in wood was a part of early Chinese and Japanese temple architecture. The minaret belongs to Islamic religious architecture. Used for defensive purposes in the early Middle Ages in Western Europe, towers with massive masonry walls served as refuges and lookouts. Many 9th- and 10th-century round defense towers remain in Ireland and a few in Scotland, including one at Brechin. Castles had their donjons or keeps, of which the 11th-century Tower of London shows a high development. Of the fortified towers that Italian nobles built even for their city dwellings numerous examples remain, notably at San Gimignano. The earliest existing church towers in Europe were those of the 5th and 6th cent. in Ravenna, Italy. There the bell tower, or campanile, stood detached from the church building itself; another example is the celebrated bell tower at Pisa (1174). In English and French Romanesque churches a high tower rises over the crossing of nave and transepts, and the west end generally possesses lower twin towers. The relatively simple Romanesque towers generally had square or round shafts with many blind arcades in horizontal tiers and were topped by a simple octagonal or conical spire. They developed into the higher, elaborate type of Gothic, decorated with pinnacles and canopied niches. Towers of extreme lightness and intricacy were developed in the late Gothic period, as in the cathedrals at Rouen, Vienna, and Antwerp. With the Renaissance the classical orders were incorporated into tower design. Particular success was attained in the tapering pyramidal compositions of Sir Christopher Wren's numerous London towers, including those of St. Paul's Cathedral. English churches, e.g., St. Martin-in-the-Fields by James Gibbs, set the pattern for the typical New England church with the wooden tower and steeple rising directly over the entrance vestibule. In the 20th cent. towers have often taken the form of skyscrapers. Notable modern towers of varied design and function include the highly original Einstein Tower at Potsdam by Erich Mendelsohn and Frank Lloyd Wright's Johnson tower with glass tubing at Racine, Wis.

Any freestanding or attached structure that is relatively tall in proportion to its base. The Romans, Byzantines, and medieval Europeans built defensive towers as part of the fortifications of their city walls (e.g., the Tower of London). Indian temple architecture uses towers of various types (e.g., the sikhara). Towers were an important feature of churches and cathedrals built in the Romanesque and Gothic periods. Some Gothic church towers were designed to carry a spire; others had flat roofs. The Italian campanile could either be attached to a church or freestanding. The use of towers declined somewhat during the Renaissance but reappeared in Baroque architecture. The use of steel frames enabled buildings to reach unprecedented heights; the Eiffel Tower in Paris was the first structure to reveal the true vertical potential of steel construction.

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Bell tower, either freestanding or attached to another structure. More particularly it refers to the room, usually at the top of such a tower, where the bells and their supporting timberwork are hung. The belfry is a prominent feature of Belgian Gothic architecture, especially in Flanders. The Halles (Market Hall) and belfry in Brugge (late 13th century) is a typical example. The term derives from the medieval siege tower (berfrei), a tall wooden structure that could be rolled up to a fortification wall so that the warriors hidden inside could storm the battlements.

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Royal fortress on the northern bank of the River Thames. The central keep, or donjon, known as the White Tower because of its limestone, was begun circa 1078 by William I the Conqueror inside the Roman city wall. In the 12th–13th century the fortifications were extended beyond the wall, the White Tower becoming the nucleus of a series of concentric defenses. The only entrance from the land is at the southwestern corner; when the river was still a major highway, the 13th-century water gate was much used. Its nickname, Traitors' Gate, derives from the prisoners brought through it to the Tower, long used as a state prison; many were murdered or executed there.

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Skyscraper office building in Chicago. With 110 floors and a height of 1,450 ft (442 m), it became the world's tallest building at its completion in 1974. Its architect, Fazlur Khan (1928–1982), designed it as a bundled-tube (see skyscraper) structure to resist lateral forces. It is modular in plan, with nine 75-ft- (23-m-) square, column-free units. The exterior is sheathed in black aluminum and bronze-tinted glass. Louvers clad the four floors devoted to the building's mechanical operations. It was the world's tallest building until 1996, when it was surpassed by the Petronas Towers (1,483 ft [452 m]) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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Parisian landmark built for the Centennial Exposition of 1889. Conceived by the bridge engineer Gustave Eiffel (1832–1923), the 984-ft (300-m) tower of open-lattice wrought iron was a technological masterpiece. Making use of advanced knowledge of the behaviour of metal arch and truss forms under loading, the structure presaged a revolution in civil engineering and architectural design. The tower was the world's tallest building until the Chrysler Building in New York City was topped off in 1929.

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National preserve, northeastern Wyoming, U.S. The first U.S. national monument, it was established in 1906 near the Belle Fourche River. It includes 1,347 acres (545 hectares) and features a natural rock tower, the remnant of a volcanic intrusion now exposed by erosion. The tower has a flat top and is 865 ft (264 m) high.

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Tower is a city located in St. Louis County, Minnesota, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 479.

State Highway 1, State Highway 169, and State Highway 135 are three of the main arterial routes in the city.

The city was incorporated in 1889, which makes it the oldest city in the Arrowhead region. It owes its establishment to the Soudan Mine and was named after mining financier Charlemagne Tower. Tower is home to the Tower Train Museum; near the museum is McKinley Monument, the first erected in honor of former U.S. President William McKinley shortly after his assassination in 1901.

Tower set the Minnesota record for coldest temperature on February 2, 1996, when the temperature dropped to -60°F (-51°C).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.1 km²), of which, 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 sq mi or 12.86%) of it is water. Tower lies near the southern shore of Lake Vermilion.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 479 people in the city, organized into 233 households and 137 families. The population density is 176.8 people per square mile (68.2/km²). There are 295 housing units at an average density of 108.9/sq mi (42.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 97.70% White, 1.46% Native American, 0% Asian, 0% African American, 0% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. 1.88% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 233 households out of which 20.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% are married couples living together, 6.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% are non-families. 37.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 22.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.06 and the average family size is 2.69.

In the city the population is spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $26,429, and the median income for a family is $37,500. Males have a median income of $35,000 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,169. 10.7% of the population and 3.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.5% of those under the age of 18 and 10.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

See also

• Minnesota Highway 1
• Minnesota Highway 135
• Minnesota Highway 169

References

External links

• Timberjay newspapers, including the Tower Timberjay
• History of Tower and Soudan, from the Timberjay
• Photos taken in Tower during August 1937, from the Library of Congress
• Tower Soudan Historical Society
• City of Tower
• Lake Vermilion Chamber Of Commerce
• Lake Vermilion Soudan Tower News