{"nrhp_refnum":"01001036","name":"Azure Mountain Fire Observation Station","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Azure Mountain","address_restricted":false,"city":"Waverly","county":"Franklin County","state":"NY","lat":44.54666579000008,"lon":-74.48303794799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-09-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Entertainment/Recreation","Conservation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A fire observation station on the 2,518-foot summit of Azure Mountain in the town of Waverly, Franklin County, New York, in the Adirondack Forest Preserve. It centers on a steel lookout tower erected in 1918 and includes a jeep road, a foot trail, and the sites of two former observers' cabins.","why_significant":"The station is significant under criteria A and C for its association with the New York State Forest Preserve and as a representative example of an early twentieth century fire observation station. The tower is typical of the heavier steel towers with integral staircases built by the Conservation Commission between 1917 and 1950. It is part of a multiple property group of Forest Preserve fire observation stations.","narrative":"Azure Mountain Fire Observation Station occupies the 2,518-foot summit of Azure Mountain in Waverly, Franklin County, within the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Its main feature is a steel lookout tower, prefabricated by the Aermotor Corporation and erected in 1918. It is a riveted and bolted angular steel frame topped by a square cab, anchored to concrete pads on bare bedrock. A roughly one-mile trail, following an old jeep road and a foot path, climbs from Blue Mountain Road to the summit and passes the sites of two former observers' cabins, one built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934 and demolished in 1995. A station was first established on the peak in 1914, when it covered heavily lumbered land. The tower is typical of the heavier steel structures with integral staircases built by the state between 1917 and 1950. It was listed for its link to the Forest Preserve and as a representative early twentieth century fire observation station. The tower is inactive, though the trail remains popular with hikers.","period_of_significance":"1918-1950","architect_builder":"Aermotor Corporation (tower manufacturer)","architectural_style":"No style/utilitarian (fire tower)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The tower is inactive and missing its lower two flights of stairs, three windows and the trap door. The trail is maintained by the state environmental agency and remains in active recreational use.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.392601-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/01001036.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001036/9d6dc4f7f5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001036/9d6dc4f7f5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Mwanner","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Azure_Mountain_Fire_Tower.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Mwanner</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Azure_Mountain_Fire_Tower.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75312972","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azure_Mountain_Fire_Observation_Station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4833103"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/franklin-county/azure-mountain-fire-observation-station-01001036/"}