Ford Island Control Tower Leased To Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor
Honolulu, HI – Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, recently named one of America’s Top 10 aviation attractions by TripAdvisor, has announced the signing of the lease on the Ford Island Aerological Control Tower and Observation Deck, heralding the beginning of the long awaited and badly needed Tower restoration and stabilization project. The Tower stood guard over Ford Island on the day of the Imperial Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.
For nearly seven decades since, this historic landmark has proudly stood guard over Pearl Harbor and Ford Island – a monument to the brave men and women who fought in WWII. Epic movies such as Tora! Tora! Tora! and Pearl Harbor further immortalized the Tower on the silver screen.
According to Executive Director Kenneth DeHoff, “This is one of our highest priorities, to keep the tower from further deterioration. Admiral Dixon Smith has been most instrumental in securing the lease between the Navy and Ford Island Ventures/Hunt Development Group, the landlord for this property. We are extremely grateful to him and anxious to get started preserving this important beacon of history.”
The prominent 158 foot tall, 15 foot diameter water tank tower built of steel plates and rivets is seen by over 2 million people per year as they visit the National Park Service’s World War II Valor in the Pacific Monument Including the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Oklahoma Memorial, USS Utah Memorial, and the additional Pearl Harbor Historic Sites of the Battleship Missouri Memorial, Bowfin Submarine Park and Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor. It is estimated that $7.5 million is needed to completely restore the Tower.
Image: Ford Island Control Tower
Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is located on Ford Island (a secured military base) in the middle of Pearl Harbor. To Visit the Museum, obtain a ticket online, from any of our partner Travel Desks in Waikiki, or at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, where parking is available. For security reasons, no bags are allowed on the shuttle bus to Ford Island. A bag storage facility, located at the Bowfin Submarine Park shuttle bus stop, can store your belongings for a fee of $3 per bag.
Tickets online: http://www.pacificaviationmuseum.org/visit/buytickets.html
Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor 319 Lexington Boulevard, Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii 96818 Tel 808) 441-1000
www.PacificAviationMuseum.org
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The Navy lease was signed September 1, 2010, granting the Pacific Aviation Museum use of this 158 foot red and white icon where the first radio call of the December 7th 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was broadcast. This portion of the lease adds the Ford Island Control Tower, Operations Building and Aerological Observation Center to the museums 65 years lease.
A celebration was held September 2nd, after the 65th End of the War commemoration ceremony on the Battleship Missouri, just 1000 meters down the street, next to the new NPS USS Oklahoma Memorial. Navy RDML Dixon Smith and Ford Island Venture’s Steve Colon, Executive Director Ken DeHoff and Board President Clint Churchill participated in the signing ceremony, with Sounds of Aloha Barbershop Male Chorus sang patriotic songs and Pearl Harbor Survivor George Benson spoke about his experience that day that lives in infamy.
The museum has one year to clean the property, repair the steel platforms and stair, remove hazardous material and paint the structure. We have already raised $4.1 million on this $7.5 million project. This is Phase 2 in our overall plan to develop the 16 acres. The museum restored one hangar in 2006 and is working on the 2nd World War II hangar that survived the bombing. A 3rd hangar will be added when the Navy moves a school presently using the facility. We have already raised another $23 million on this $100 million endeavor to build an internationally recognized Museum that tells the story of Aviation in the Pacific.