Lake Placid Tower
Lake Placid Tower is an abandoned observation tower in Lake Placid, Florida, near the southwest corner of 467 US Highway 27 N. About 240 feet tall (some sources say up to 270 feet), it was built in 1960–1961 by Air View Corporation for $350,000 and designed by architect A. Wynn Howell; Ridge Builders of Sebring were the main contractors. It opened on January 1, 1961 and was at one time touted as possibly the tallest concrete-block structure in the world, though sources disagree on the exact construction.
The tower offered three observation levels at roughly 192, 200, and 225 feet, with a red aircraft warning light on top and views that could stretch about 40 miles. The base housed the Tower View restaurant. The plaza once featured a petting zoo and a pay phone billed as the highest in Florida. Due to low ticket sales and tax issues, the tower closed in 1982 but reopened in 1986. Ownership changed several times, and on November 6, 2003 it was sold to CHL Tower Group and used as a cell phone tower until 2019.
The site has been abandoned since 2020. As of 2022, it hosts T-Mobile 5G service and amateur radio operations by the Highlands County Amateur Radio Club W4HCA. The tower sits on ground about 142 feet above sea level; the FAA lists the top at about 392 feet above sea level, meaning the structure is roughly 250 feet tall above the ground. The property covers about 2.27 acres.
Lake Placid Tower is one of 35 designated historic structures in Lake Placid and one of three tall towers in Central Florida, along with Citrus Tower in Clermont and Bok Tower in Lake Wales.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:45 (CET).