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Read the article at the Helena Independent Record by Nolan Lister
excerpt:
“A significant portion was severely damaged in 2016 after an arson incident.
As a result, at least six of the joints will likely need to be replaced along with the end segments of the timber beams and their tenons, according to a trio of specialists flown in to assess the damage in July.
The project also intends to address some of the previous repair efforts, which were made in good faith but were not exactly best practice when it comes to both historic preservation and timber framing.
While conducting research for the project, Attardo's team uncovered a newspaper article from 1970 that claimed the Helena Fire Tower was one of only five such structures, a timber fire lookout tower in an urban setting, left in the United States, prompting the team to track down any others.
Downtown Port Townsend, Washington, boasts a fire bell tower. However, it is only a bell tower and is made of planed lumber, not heavy timber like Helena's tower.
They also learned of a fire tower in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem, but it is made of metal.”