In 1930, the schoolchildren of Altadena were given a choice. The new junior high school rising from a tract of land along North Lake Avenue could include either a swimming pool or a tower. They picked the tower. The story has been preserved as oral history by the Altadena Historical Society, attributed to Sara Carnahan, a longtime board member and Eliot alumna. However the choice was put, the result has shaped the skyline of North Lake Avenue ever since.