Fire Control Tower Restoration Phase Three Begins With Lights Out

Fire Control Tower 3, the one in the parking lot at Tower Beach in Delaware Seashore State Park is in phase three of restoration. The first thing you will notice is it is not lit up cobalt blue at night anymore. The lights have been removed to allow for phase three of the restoration project.

The tower was built in 1942, and since then has seen damage from corrosion of rebar, crumbling concrete, and storms, especially the storm of 62. That nor’easter pushed a lot of sand into the tower and today the base of the tower is still under two feet of sand. There are plans in place to excavate that area. Ramps will be built to the tower’s entrance and a new door will replace the old shorter entrance. Electricity will also be run for future improvements. New matching original windows will replace the bricked in window accesses.

The ultimate goal of the project is to allow visitors to climb tot he roof top and see all around the area form seventy feet above the ground. That will be phase four, the addition of a roof top observation deck and a winding staircase to the deck. Much like the Fire Control Tower in Cape Henlopen State park at Fort Miles.

This entire project will cost about a million dollars and the restoration group is a little under three hundred thousand shy of that financial goal. If you would like to donate to the restoration of Fire Control Tower 3 you can visit their website, Restore the Tower.