Exhibit: “Water Tower: The History of a Campus Icon”

Somewhere along the way, the water tower became to UC Davis what the Campanile is to UC Berkeley and Royce Hall is to UCLA — a campus symbol and beacon for miles around. Although we tend to speak of “the UC Davis water tower” in the singular, there are actually two towers serving campus today: the six-legged “Arboretum tower” visible from the freeway and the four-legged “Touchdown tower” near the stadium. Using historical photographs and rare items in the UC Davis Library Archives and Special Collections, this exhibit explores the history, purpose, and meaning of these towers and their predecessors for over a century.

View the online exhibit