US Naval Ordnance Testing Facility Control Tower
Why it's listed
Built in 1946 on Topsail Island, this sixteen-by-sixteen-foot reinforced concrete tower rises thirty feet and is filled with concrete block walls. The Kellex Corporation designed it for the Navy Bureau of Ordnance, and George and Lynch of Wilmington, Delaware, erected it. It was the command post for "Operation Bumblebee," where military personnel and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory scientists directed secret ramjet missile tests from 1946 to 1948. The tower sat midway between the assembly building and the launch site along the beach. After the Navy left in 1948, the land was subdivided and the town of Topsail Beach grew around the former base. In 1957 the tower was bought and converted to a seasonal home, with its original open roof deck replaced by a flat roof and its interior stairs partly retained. It was listed for its link to early American missile development, despite being under fifty years old at the time.
Significance in brief: It served as command headquarters for "Operation Bumblebee," the secret 1946-1948 ramjet missile testing program run by the Navy and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. It is one of the surviving resources of an early postwar missile effort that preceded later programs at sites such as White Sands, Cape Canaveral and Inyokern. It qualified under Criterion A despite being less than fifty years old.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 93000910, listed September 14, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SW corner of S. Anderson Blvd. and Flake Ave., Topsail Beach |
|---|---|
| County | Pender County |
| Listed | September 14, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000910 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1946-1948 |
| Architect / builder | Kellex Corporation/George & Lynch |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted to a seasonal residence after purchase in 1957; the open observation deck was replaced with a wide-eave flat roof and new windows were added. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 34.36621, -77.62878 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 93000910.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23023259
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.