Little Joe Tower is a landmark structure in Corning, New York,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The tower was built in either 1912 or 1913 by

Corning Glass Works Corning Incorporated is an American multinational technology company that specializes in specialty glass, ceramics, and related materials and technologies including advanced optics, primarily for industrial and scientific applications. The co ...

(now known as Corning Inc.). The construction came during a period of growth for the company, and the tower was used in drawing glass for

thermometer A thermometer is a device that measures temperature or a temperature gradient (the degree of hotness or coldness of an object). A thermometer has two important elements: (1) a temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb of a mercury-in-glass thermometer ...

tubes. On the outside of the white tower is a blue stenciled

silhouette A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...

of "Little Joe", a

glassblower Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison) with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a ''glassblower'', ''glassmith'', or ''gaffer''. A '' lampworke ...

, giving the tower its name. In the 1940s, advancements in drawing technology reduced the use of the tower, and in June 1973, the tower was decommissioned. However, the company continues to maintain the building, which the ''

Star-Gazette The ''Star-Gazette'' is the major newspaper for Elmira, New York. Based in Elmira, the publication is owned by Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. ...

'' claims is "the Corning area's best known landmark". In 1999, the tower was repainted, and in 2015, the tower experienced a renovation that began in May and ended in August.

References

{{Reflist 1912 establishments in New York (state) 1913 establishments in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Steuben County, New York Corning Inc. Corning, New York Industrial buildings completed in 1912 Industrial buildings completed in 1913