KITCHENER - Toronto lights up its CN Tower, Paris illuminates the Eiffel Tower, and soon a towering symbol of Kitchener's industrial glory days will be ablaze with light.

The 55-metre (180-foot) brick smokestack next to the former hide house of the old Lang Tannery at 195 Joseph St. will be lit up by coloured LED lights.

The 100-year-old smokestack is one of the last in the city, and stands as a symbol of Kitchener's industrial heritage.

The towering chimney is a designated heritage landmark and was at the centre of a controversy in 2010 when developer Cadan Inc. offered to preserve the tower but demolished a number of old buildings associated with the tannery to make way for a gravel parking lot.

On Tuesday, Kitchener's heritage committee unanimously approved a proposal to install eight lights at the base of the smokestack, just where the smokestack transitions from its square base to the octagonal shaft, that project light up the brick tower.

The lights will be mainly green, but can also project red, blue or white light, and will "provide a beacon that celebrates the character and individuality of the smokestack (and) the history and heritage" of the Lang Tannery site," according to the report prepared for the committee. The design minimizes light pollution onto nearby homes, the report says.

The lighting would be programmable, allowing colours to change as needed to celebrate important dates or highlight particular public events.

"I think it will be a great addition," said Coun. Bil Ioannidis, a member of the committee, adding that the smokestack "was a prominent structure, back in the day."

Installation of the lights is expected to happen this fall and to cost Toronto-based property owner Allied Properties REIT about $136,000.