Havolene Thermometer

I loved this postcard, so even though it has some damage, I had to pick it up when I saw it at Pastimes, an antique store in Dewitt Mall.



Uncirculated
(c) 1933

In trying to find more information about the Havolene Thermometer online, I really only learned that a lot of these postcards are out there! Miniature thermometers, the same shape as the tower, were also available, but I don't know if they were for sale or if they were promotional items. In fact, the only details I could find online came from a virtual exhibit capturing the essence of the exhibition. The site describes the Havoline Thermometer exhibit as follows:

A great 200-foot tower can be seen from many sections of the Fair and the numerals on its three faces can be easily read. It is a thermometer, perhaps the largest the world has ever seen. The numerals are ten feet high, and the graduated temperature columns are made of neon tubing, electrically regulated by a master thermometer. The Indian Refining Company dedicated it as a "Monument to Chicago's Climate." In a building at the base of the tower the company presents an exhibit of oil refining equipment and products.