Tornado Monument Proposed for Kansas City, KS

A Kansas City native hopes his proposal for a 650 ft. tall Wizard of Oz-themed tornado monument will blow you away.

1 minute read

October 16, 2003, 12:00 PM PDT

By Connie Chung


"St. Louis has the Arch. Seattle has the Space Needle. New York has the Statue of Liberty. And now Tom Overby wants to create a monument for his hometown of Kansas City, Kan.: a 650-foot-tall tornado-- 45 feet taller than the Space Needle, 20 feet taller than the Arch and 345 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty-- that would anchor a tourism district with a theme based on 'The Wizard of Oz'....As Overby envisions it, visitors could take an elevator to the top, where they could eat at a restaurant and enjoy the view. The area surrounding the tornado would include buildings made to look like they were destroyed by a twister. Inside those buildings would be gift shops. The base of the tornado would include a museum with information on the history and science of twisters."

Thanks to Connie Chung

Sunday, October 12, 2003 in The Hartford Courant

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