[Lake Region Observation Tower]

This handsome, art-deco photographic reproduction of a drawing showcases the Lake Region Observation Tower in Winter Haven, Florida. Winter Haven in is located in the central part of the state and it is dubbed "The Chain of Lakes City" for its numerous, canal-linked bodies of water. The observation tower is advertised as a “future landmark and outstanding attraction for Winter Haven, designed for the fuller appreciation of our great group of closely clustered lakes.” The observation floor sits at 225 feet above base, providing a wondrous view of the flatlands and rolling hills of Polk County. The tower is “the highest point above sea level available to the public within 70 miles of salt water from Washington, D.C. To Houston, Texas.”

Given its status as a tourist destination, and the fact that its highest natural point is only 345 feet above sea level, the Everglade state saw something of an “observation tower” craze in the first half of the 20th-century. There was the Citrus Tower, the Singing Tower (now Bok Tower Gardens), the Car Dale Tower, the Placid Tower, the Nagel Groves Tower, and the Trylon Tower, to name just a few.

No one, however, experienced the sweeping panoramic views of the Lake Region Observation Tower, as the structure was never built. The company behind the failed endeavor (the unimaginatively named "Observation Towers Incorporated") was formed in 1938 and dissolved in 1950.