As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported, Gwinnett County officials are struggling to find a new iconic symbol to replace those I-85 water towers that were demolished in 2010. County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash is even open to the idea of rebuilding the towers.
Many longtime Gwinnett residents recall the towers fondly and miss them now that they’re gone. But they may yet get another glimpse. Part of one of the towers – the one that proclaimed “Success Lives Here” – survived the demolition and now calls Suwanee its home.
According to Suwanee spokeswoman Abby Wilkerson, City Manager Marty Allen was driving down I-85 and saw the towers were coming down. Years before, the city had torn down its own water tower, and the pieces were preserved as art and given away. Allen hoped to do something similar with the famous Gwinnett towers.
“He was hoping for whatever we could get, preferably something with letters or paint – beggars can’t be choosers,” Wilkerson said.
“Luckily, our staff got to the site just in time to claim the entire word ‘Lives,’” she said. “It was the largest piece we could fit on our trailer and get back to Suwanee, and it greatly exceeded our expectations. The piece has lived in Suwanee ever since.”
At some point, the city plans to display its piece of the tower as public art.
You can read more about the history of the county's "Gwinnett is Great" and "Success Lives Here" water towers here.
For more on Gwinnett's search for a new icon, check out this article.
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