thx urbancanadian, and today I've finally received a response from Wipper, (quote) "you haven't even convinced me it's original to the building let alone shown me plans that it's part of an architect's vision."
Well we all know it's original to the bldg and I'm pretty sure the architect intended it to resemble a ship's mast (making it ornamental), so I will dig around and see what I can find to satisfy Mr. Snapper. Stay tuned.
