{"nrhp_refnum":"09000862","name":"Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"S. Beacon Mtn.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Beacon","county":"Dutchess County","state":"NY","lat":41.48351612100004,"lon":-73.94384810099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-10-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Conservation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A sixty-foot galvanized steel fire observation tower on the summit of South Beacon Mountain in the City of Beacon, Dutchess County, New York. It was erected in 1931 and put in service in 1932; it is an Aermotor model LS-40 tower.","why_significant":"The nomination ties the tower to New York State's fire-prevention efforts to protect forest lands from the early 20th century. It is also presented as a somewhat intact but deteriorated example of a prefabricated tower by the Aermotor company, a leading maker of fire towers. It served fire observation in the Hudson Highlands from 1932 until the early 1970s, when aircraft took over.","narrative":"Rising sixty feet above the summit of South Beacon Mountain, about 1,650 feet above sea level, this galvanized steel fire tower was built in 1931 and began service in 1932. Made by the Aermotor Windmill Company, it is a four-post model LS-40 supporting a small observation cabin reached by wood stairs and landings. Funding came from Dutchess County and private subscription. Fire observers operated from it under the New York State Bureau of Forest Fire Control until the end of the 1972 season, after which aircraft assumed the work, and it was decommissioned permanently around 1975. The tower reflects the state's shift, after the devastating fires of the early 1900s, toward a network of observation stations built to spot blazes early. Aermotor was a leading supplier of such towers nationwide. Though the cabin is badly deteriorated, volunteers have repaired the footings and replaced steps and landings, with further repairs planned.","period_of_significance":"1931-1959","architect_builder":"Aermotor Windmill Company, Chicago, IL","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Badly deteriorated, with the cabin roof largely gone and the glazing lost; restoration by volunteers is underway, including repaired footings and replacement wood steps and landings. Taken out of service in 1972 and decommissioned permanently c. 1975.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.069467-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/09000862.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000862/10dc6367b9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000862/10dc6367b9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Percolini","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_-_Mt._Beacon_Fire_Observation_Tower_-_20130917135844.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Percolini</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_-_Mt._Beacon_Fire_Observation_Tower_-_20130917135844.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317417","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Beacon_Fire_Observation_Tower","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6930253"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/dutchess-county/mt-beacon-fire-observation-tower-09000862/"}