Lifestyle

Britten Leaning Water Tower in Groom, Texas Was a Brilliant Marketing Ploy

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Italy has its leaning tower and, not to be beat, Texas does too. Although ours is considerably less flashy, wasn’t architecturally designed, and isn’t overly tall, it doesn’t stop it from the come-from-behind-win it has in terms of catching eyes in the Texas Panhandle with its 80-degree slant.

Britten Leaning Water Tower in Groom, Texas Was a Brilliant Marketing Ploy

Photo: Facebook/Travellina

An intentional display that deliberately grabs your attention – like a spelling faux pas – the Britten Leaning Water Tower was set on a lean as a marketing tool. And it worked. Motorists passing by this Texas roadside oddity would often pull off Route 66 (now Interstate 40) to make sure their eyes weren’t deceiving them, and wind up at Ralph Britten’s truck stop and restaurant. As luck would have it, the retail and food fare at the location would fill a need perhaps they hadn’t quite realized they had just yet, and voilà! A marketing star was born.

Britten Leaning Water Tower in Groom, Texas Was a Brilliant Marketing Ploy

Photo: Facebook/Patrick Stephens

According to local lore, the tower was meant to supply Ralph’s business with (what else?) water in or about 1980 or so. He purchased it from the nearby Texas town of Lefors and transported it to Groom in one piece. After finding, however, that there was a simpler water storage solution, he instead chose to make use of the tower in another respect – as a calling card for his business. Using only a bulldozer, according to Britten’s son, the tank was set into place (a mathematical feat at the very least). Despite this great tool of success, unfortunately, Ralph’s business burned to the ground in a devastating fire (which is oddly ironic considering the original nature of the tower’s purpose). Nonetheless, the Britten Leaning Water Tower remains today one of the iconic Texas roadside oddities many have come to know and love.

Sources:

Wikipedia

Slate