A little-known quote from Dr. Freud. Presumably the design is in accordance with aerodynamic principles. Do a Google Image search for "barrage balloon" and you'll see it's typical.

That just gives me the willies. Why, seriously, would they build it in that shape?

...without the fez on!

That looks just like one of the barrage balloons later used during WWII to protect cities, troops and ships from attacks by low-flying aircraft. It never occurred to me that the design was taken from an earlier observation balloon.

You can't say that the engineers who designed this didn't have a sense of humor. I wonder what color it was.

Views to be Taken from Air

Captive Balloon to be Used in Recording Shrine Activities

Photographs of Shrine activities will be taken by the army air service this week from a captive balloon at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The balloon will be sent up on a cable in the rear of the State, War and Navy building this morning.

Lieut. George S. Creesey, Eighteenth Airship Company, of Aberdeen, Md., will be in charge. He will have 20 men under his direction.

Washington Post, Jun 5, 1923

Dave, did you peek at the Washington Post archives before posting your comment drawing attention to possible connections with the Shriners? If not, it was an inspired guess.

[There was slight peekage, yes. - Dave]