In today’s Star-Ledger, there is an article about the uncertain fate of the giant "bottle" that marks the site of the old Pabst Brewery in Newark, NJ. While the brewery’s innards were long ago disassembled and shipped to China, the shell of the old brewery and its bottle-shaped water tower have remained since the 1986 closure of the brewery operation.

Now, demolition of the buildings is finally taking place, and the City Government (perhaps one of the most corrupt and inept in the entire country) and the developer of the site have still not figured out what to do about the giant "bottle".

The bottle originally was the property of the Hoffman Beverage Company, and it advertised their soda. When Pabst moved to the site, the bottle became the symbol of the brewer’s products. It is made of 1/4 inch steel plates, coated with copper, stands 60 feet tall, and is situated on a giant supporting structure that places it 185 feet above street level.

The height and the incredible mass and weight of the bottle are the problems in deciding its fate. In order to preserve the bottle, it would have to be brought down in one piece, and the one attempt to do that so far has been unsuccessful.

My best guess is that the city will fail to preserve this part of its history, and that it will be cut up for scrap. I hope that I am wrong, but the slip-shod record of the city administration indicates that little will be done in time to save the structure. And thus, another colorful bit of local history will be lost.