LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – One of Lafayette’s most recognizable landmarks now looks dramatically different.
The operating house that sat atop the Lafayette Reservoir tower has been removed, marking the most visible milestone yet in a major seismic safety project that will ultimately shorten the nearly century-old structure by 40 feet.
A photo we took on July 31 shows the tower enclosed in scaffolding and protective construction fabric, with steel reinforcement bars protruding from the newly exposed upper section. The top is totally gone. A crane barge remains positioned beside the tower as crews continue dismantling it piece by piece.
So the top is officially off. It does not, however, mean that the entire tower-lowering process is finished…