Drive along old historic route 66, through downtown Collinsville, over the hill and something unusual enters your sightline.
"I's rivetted steel, it's 170 feet high," said Mike Gassman, CEO, President, The World's Largest Catsup Bottle.
Rising into the sky, a true titan of the highway: The World's Largest Catsup Bottle.
"The catsup bottle was built in 1949. It was built for the Brook's Foods Catsup Bottling Plant."
The tower was built to supply water to the nearby plant owned by the G.S. Suppiger Company. The president of the company, Gerhart S. Suppiger, is credited with the suggestion that the water tower be designed to resemble one of the company's catsup bottles.
Gassman calls himself 'The Big Tomato', as head of the World's Largest Catsup Bottle fan club.
"I have catsup in my veins," he laughed.
It is claimed to be the largest catsup bottle with a volume of 100,000 gallons, which could theoretically hold 640,000 bottles of catsup.
Gassman grew up in Collinsville. He said, as a kid, driving by the catsup bottle each day was always exciting. He says there was even urban legends about the iconic landmark.
"People say if you sat on the side of the bottle while you were driving you'd get red hair. We'd tell the girls in high school if you live in Collinsville, you had a city sticker that gave you permission to get the tap and you get free catsup and refill your bottles." he laughed.
In 1993, the owners of the Brooks plant prepared to sell the property. It offered the water tower to the nearby city of Collinsville, but the city declined to purchase it due to the high projected cost of repairs and restoration. Over the course of two years, volunteers raised $80,000 to repair, strip, and paint the aging structure.
"My wife was behind that effort. She was behind the effort to save the catsup bottle. There was talk of having it torn down. She's an architect specializing in historic preservation. They had it restored, repaired and repainted to its original glory. The general public cannot climb it but the painters did. When the restoration happened, they welded steel beams off the top and they hung from baskets and repainted the bottle that way. It was amazing to watch." he recalled.
Mike Gassman, CEO, President, The World's Largest Catsup Bottle
Lisa Fielding/WBBM Newsradio
Since then, the Catsup Bottle has become a global phenomenon attracting travels from around the world and they even hold an annual festival.
"We have an annual festival. We serve tater tots smothered in catsup. We also have a hot dog eating contest which of course is also smothered with catsup. "
As a prime example of mid-20th-century novelty architecture, it is listed on the National Register of Historic places. The tower is most notable in its capacity as a regional landmark and as a roadside attraction.
Gassman says it's even a structure Chicagoans could love.
Lisa: "In Chicago, we have an aversion to catsup, especially on our hot dogs."
"I'd say to Chicagoans, give it a try, you'll love it," he smiled.
This iconic structure showcases the charm of Americana and has attracted visitors for 75 years. While on site, a family from Massachusetts stops for some photos. Gassman walks across the parking lot.
"Hi, I'm Mike, I'm the Big Tomato. I am in charge of all the promotion for the World's Largest Catsup Bottle!"
"This is so fun, " the tourists said. "We didn't know about this but a book mentioned this and this was one of the stops. We're driving to Los Angeles. " they said.
The Catsup Bottle has become something fun that brings back nostalgia.
"Little did they know that 75 years later, it would be a Route 66 icon that everyone wants to stop and see" said Gassman.
And during Route 66's centennial year, it's become particularly popular, a global phenomenon that has really taken on a life of its own.
Ten stories tall, it's become Collinsville's claim to fame, something Gassman talks about with pride and plenty of puns.
"Catch-up with you later, ladies," he laughed.
The quirky, kitschy, landmark, one of Route 66's more saucy roadside stops that pours on the charm.
For more information about the World's Largest Catsup Bottle, you can click here.
