Once there was a tower in Norfolk from which Rapunzel could have let down her hair. Rising from the east end of the Royal Arcanum building, built in 1904, it served as a hose tower for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. The Royal Arcanum building was a joint venture between the NVFD and the Wangum Council of the Royal Arcanum, founded in Boston in 1877 for the purpose of providing life insurance for its members. The Wangum Council needed meeting rooms, and the NVFD (organized in 1902) wanted a brick fire-walled facility for its equipment. Architect Alfredo Taylor produced the distinctive design with patterned red and green brickwork, colorful tile panels, and the fanciful tower.

-Ann Havemeyer