Gulf Breeze, Fla. - The National Park Service announces next steps in the preservation of the historic Tower 234 at the Fort Pickens Area. The tower was built in 1943 along with Battery 234 to direct the firing of the guns placed on the battery. It was once one of many located on the Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key.
The tower, constructed of steel, supports a two-story concrete observation booth weighing over 113,000 pounds is in critical need of preservation. A 2018 inspection found the structural integrity of the tower to be questionable forcing the park to close the area around the tower. The inspection was an early step in efforts by the park to restore and reopen the tower to the public.
Following a careful review by outside engineering experts, the National Park Service has identified the next steps which will need to be completed in order to reopen the Battery Cooper Loop Road:
1. Document the tower based on the guidelines of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), this work will include 3D laser scanning of the structure.
2. Temporarily remove the concrete observation booth from the tower.
a. Removing this booth will significantly lessen the chances of the tower collapsing.
Both steps are currently in process, but will likely take several months to complete. It is critical for visitor safety that they remain out of the closed area. “Tower 234 and the batteries surrounding it are important historic of the Fort Pickens Area," said Superintendent Dan Brown. “Safety of our visitors is our top priority, and we believe these steps will keep our visitors safe and allow us to preserve the tower in the most appropriate way."
About Gulf Islands National Seashore: Created in 1971, the national seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi, and includes barrier islands, maritime forests, historic forts, bayous, and marine habitat. Visit us at www.nps.gov/guis, on Facebook www.Facebook.com/GulfIslandsNPS, Twitter www.Twitter.com/GulfIslandsNPS, and Instagram www.Instagram.com/GulfIslandsNPS.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice and Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
