Desert View Watchtower facts for kids
|
Desert View Watchtower Historic District
|
|
|
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
|
Desert View Watchtower
|
|
 Location in Arizona
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Built | 1932 |
| Architect | Mary Colter, et al. |
| Part of | Mary Jane Colter buildings (ID87001436) |
| NRHP reference No. | 87001436 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | January 3, 1995 (Desert View Watchtower HD) |
| Designated NHLDCP | May 28, 1987 |
The Desert View Watchtower is a tall stone building located at the Grand Canyon in Arizona, United States. It is also known as the Indian Watchtower at Desert View. This amazing tower is about 70-foot (21 m) (21 meters) high.
You can find the tower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's in Grand Canyon National Park, about 20 miles (32 km) (32 kilometers) east of the main area called Grand Canyon Village. The tower is near the park's east entrance.
The Desert View Watchtower has four stories and was finished in 1932. It was designed by a famous American architect named Mary Colter. She worked for the Fred Harvey Company and designed many other buildings around the Grand Canyon, like Hermit's Rest and the Lookout Studio. Inside the tower, you can see beautiful paintings called murals by Fred Kabotie.
Contents
What Does the Watchtower Look Like?
The Desert View Watchtower was one of the last buildings Mary Colter designed for visitors at the Grand Canyon. She wanted the tower to look like the old watchtowers built by the Ancestral Puebloans. These ancient people lived in the area a long time ago.
The tower is much bigger than any known Puebloan tower. It looks like a round stone tower built on a rocky base. The base was made to look a bit old and ruined, as if the watchtower was built on top of an even older structure.
Inside the Tower
The main room inside the base is called the Kiva Room. A kiva is a special room used by Puebloan people for ceremonies. This room has a fireplace, but the chimney is hidden. The Kiva Room still has its original furniture.
The tower itself is open inside, with circular balconies stacked one above the other. Small stairways connect these balconies. At the very top, there is an enclosed observation area with large windows. From here, visitors can enjoy amazing views of the Grand Canyon. There used to be an open area on the roof, but it's now closed and used for radio equipment.
The tower's walls are decorated with bold murals by Fred Kabotie. You can also see other designs that look like petroglyphs (rock carvings) by Fred Geary. Small windows in the tower let beams of light shine into the lower parts. The tower also has special "reflectoscopes," which are like black mirrors. They show a more artistic view of the canyon.
How Was the Watchtower Designed?
Mary Colter spent six months studying old Puebloan buildings and how they were built. She even made a clay model of the tower before it was built. To make sure the views would be perfect, she had a 70-foot (21 m) platform built at the site. This helped her see what the views would be like from the top of the finished tower.
The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway helped with the engineering of the tower. Mary Colter chose Fred Kabotie and Fred Geary to decorate the inside. Fred Geary's rock art paintings are copies of ancient petroglyphs from Abo, New Mexico. These original rock carvings are now gone, so Geary's paintings might be the only way to see them.
Desert View Watchtower Historic District
The Desert View Watchtower is part of a larger area called the Desert View Watchtower Historic District. This district includes other buildings that were used by the Fred Harvey Company and later by the National Park Service.
One important building is the Desert View Caretaker's Residence, built in 1930. This rustic stone and wood house is the oldest building in the area. It was first a rest stop for tours right on the canyon rim. It was moved to its current spot when the Watchtower was built. Fred Kabotie, the artist, might have lived here when he was the Watchtower's caretaker. Other buildings, like cabins and sheds, are also part of this historic district.
Visiting the Watchtower
Today, the bottom floor of the tower has a gift shop. The upper floors are an observation deck where visitors can see the eastern parts of the Grand Canyon. It's a popular spot for people to enjoy the incredible views.
