Most Phallic Building contest

Ypsilanti Water Tower, winner of the Most Phallic Building contest

The World's Most Phallic Building contest was a contest held in 2003 by Cabinet magazine to find the building which most resembled a human phallus.

Background

The contest originated when writer Jonathan Ames drew the ire of Slate readers by claiming, in a diary that was later published in his book I Love You More Than You Know, that the Williamsburg Bank Building in Brooklyn, New York was the world's most phallic. This led Cabinet magazine to initiate a search of its own to find which building was truly the "world's most phallic". Cities and readers subsequently poured in their views and staked their claims to the magazine's editors.

Results

After months of entries and discussion, the Ypsilanti Water Tower in Ypsilanti, Michigan, was announced as the winner, although the winner of a readers' poll was the Florida State Capitol building in Tallahassee. Another notable nominee was the Torre Agbar (Agbar Tower) in Barcelona.

Cabinet noted that the Ypsilanti Water Tower, called "the brick dick" by locals, "is clearly the world's most phallic." The tower was designed by William R. Coats and constructed as part of an elaborate city waterworks project. Located on the highest point in Ypsilanti, erection began in 1889 and came to completion in 1890, at a cost of US$21,435.63. Made of Joliet limestone, the tower is 147 feet tall, has an 85-foot base and holds 250,000 gallons when full.

See also

• Phallic architecture