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The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Saturday celebrated the grand opening of its 168-foot-tall Ford Island Control Tower after restoration of its elevator and observation deck.
About 100 people attended the ceremony at the museum before being allowed to take the elevator to the observation deck at the top of the tower, which provides a 360-degree view of not only Ford Island but Pearl Harbor and much of Oahu.
The observation deck has been tabbed the museum’s “Top of the Tower” exhibit, with public tours available starting Monday.
Some $7.7 million in federal, state and private contributions funded various phases to stabilize and restore the dilapidated tower and its attached, two-story operations building and aerological tower.
The top of the control tower had been closed to the public — its steep, spiral staircase to the top isn’t physically accessible to everyone — until its elevator was restored and improvements were made to the former upper control cab on top of the tower.
“My first office was in this building, in the tower. No overhead lights, so when I worked too late I had to use my phone so I could see my computer. No bathrooms … no air conditioning, but it was truly my haven,” said Elissa Lines, executive director of the museum. “I’m overwhelmed by what we’ve been able to achieve in the last few years.”
The complex now features exhibits, meeting areas and offices.
The tower is a historic landmark with ties to the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese warplanes. Originally a water tower supplying an attached firehouse, the structure was still under construction at the time of the attack. The operations building was strafed by enemy aircraft while controllers guided American flyers in and out of Ford Island.
The building and tower survived the attack, and construction of a control cab on top of the tank was completed the following year.
The tower fell into disrepair before the museum used 53 tons of steel to stabilize it in 2012, and the restoration work took off from there. U-Haul and Otis Elevator were among the primary contributors in restoration of the tower’s elevator and new “Top of the Tower” exhibit.
Hawaii first lady Dawn Amano-Ige attended Saturday’s ceremony and said restoration of the tower is important in remembering U.S. veterans.
“As a former educator, I know it’s important for our children and for future generations to learn from our state’s history, particularly that of the heroism and sacrifice of our brave soldiers who perished on these grounds,” Amano-Ige said, later adding, “There is no better way to honor the legacy of our veterans than to preserve national historic sites like Pearl Harbor and share the stories of our World War II veterans.”
Restoration work isn’t finished just yet, Lines said. Old windows in the building still need to be fixed, and she would like to set up an exhibit area in the firehouse garage. The roof of the operations building also needs to be restored to allow access to the aerological tower. Those renovations will cost $800,000 or so.
There are also plans to restore the grounds around the tower as well as nearby Hangar 79, which sheltered service members during the Pearl Harbor attack. It has sustained significant damage to its roof and is closed to the public.
“We really are trying hard to convert this into the battlefield, so that when people get here … they realize they’re standing on a historic site,” Lines said. “We have a number of projects — there are always things to do.”
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Top of the Tower Tour
>> Guided 30-minute tours are offered daily from 9:40 a.m. to 4:20 p.m.; 120 tickets available per day.
>> Tickets are $24.99 as an add-on to general admission, Passport to Pearl Harbor or other tours; tickets are $34.99 as a single ticket price.
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
>> Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
>> Tickets are $25.99 for adults, $14.99 for children ages 4-12.
Access to the museum is via free shuttles that run every 15 minutes from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center at 1 Arizona Memorial Place.
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