02/27/2026
For our archive series, we are highlighting Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, a collaboration with Chicago Public Schools and the Public Building Commission of Chicago.
We are featuring the school’s historic rooftop water tank. Rescued from the former Galvin Manufacturing Co., the 20-foot steel tank was relocated, restored, and installed on new masonry walls overlooking the school’s vegetative roof. The tank serves as a stormwater capture cistern for irrigation of the vegetation and was a contributing element to achieving USGBC LEED Gold for Schools certification.
The Skinner water tank’s story was recently featured in the award-winning student documentary Hidden Skyline, an award-winning documentary produced by Serena Adeleye, Ella Munnelly, and Arianna Spruille from Loyola University Chicago’s School of Communication with Professor John. P. Goheen in the Spring of 2025, exploring the overlooked story of Chicago’s historic rooftop water tanks.
