The Cape May WWII Lookout Tower is a 100-foot concrete watchtower built in 1942 to help defend the Delaware Bay from German attack, and today it’s the last freestanding World War II fire control tower still standing in New Jersey. You can climb its six floors, read the names of local veterans on its Wall of Honor, and look out over the exact stretch of ocean soldiers once scanned for enemy submarines.
Most people driving past it on Sunset Boulevard assume it’s a water tower, or maybe some kind of lighthouse that lost its lens. It’s neither. It’s a leftover piece of a war that, for a few tense years, felt like it might wash right up on New Jersey’s beaches.
What Is Fire Control Tower No. 23?
Officially, this is Fire Control Tower No. 23, and it sits on Sunset Boulevard near Sunset Beach in Cape May Point. It was part of the immense Harbor Defense of the Delaware system known as Fort Miles, playing a major part in the coastal defense of the Delaware River and Bay. There were originally 15 concrete fire control towers in the network, 11 on the Delaware side and four in New Jersey.
Of the four Jersey towers, Tower No. 23 is the only one you can actually visit today. The ones in North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest have been destroyed, while the one on Beach Drive in Cape May has been engulfed by the Grand Hotel, with only its top visible, sticking above the roof. More on that oddity in a minute, because it’s honestly one of the best hidden-in-plain-sight stories on the whole Jersey Shore.
Why Did Cape May Need a Watchtower in 1942?
This wasn’t paranoia for paranoia’s sake. German U-boats were an active threat along the East Coast in the early years of the war, and the mouth of the Delaware Bay fed directly into one of the busiest shipping and industrial corridors in the country. The Northwest Magnesite plant, which made an ingredient used in firebricks for steel mills, was located across Sunset Boulevard from the tower, which gives you a sense of how much heavy industry the military was trying to protect.
The Army needed eyes on the water, and it needed them fast. The tower was built using a sliding tube-shaped form: a ring of reinforced concrete was poured, and once it solidified, the form was slid up and more concrete was poured on top. The whole process took only two and a half days. The entire structure was finished in just weeks in 1942, and according to one local history source, built for $24,700 — pocket change by today’s construction standards, though it added up fast with 15 towers going up along two states’ coastline.
How the Tower Actually Worked
Inside, there were no guns, no radar, nothing high-tech by modern standards. Soldiers used azimuth scopes to track enemy ships, applying a geometric principle called triangulation: spotters in Tower 23 would coordinate with spotters in other towers, and by measuring the precise angles of a target from two different locations, they could pinpoint the enemy ship’s exact location and radio the coordinates to the gun batteries hidden in the dunes. It was essentially human-powered GPS, done with math, eyesight, and a radio line.
Originally the tower was used to spot battleships, but in the later years of the war, the Coast Guard Auxiliary sent members to help spot enemy submarines as well. Four men stood watch at a time, scanning the horizon through narrow slit windows for anything that didn’t belong there. An enemy ship never actually came close enough to trigger the alarm — the towers did their job by simply existing, watching, and never needing to fire.
From Abandoned Concrete Silo to Public Museum
After the war, Tower No. 23 sat quiet for decades. Originally, there were no stairs; soldiers had to climb precarious wooden ladders to get to the top, until the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities, now known as Cape May MAC, restored the tower and installed a spiral staircase to make the climb accessible to the public.
That restoration wasn’t quick or cheap. In 2004, Cape May MAC signed a 20-year lease for the tower, and after raising $1.3 million from the New Jersey Historic Trust, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, and a Small Cities Block Grant, restored it between 2008 and 2009 before opening it to the public in April 2009. The tower earned its spot on the history books along the way too: it was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on May 29, 2003, and to the National Register of Historic Places on November 17, 2003, for its significance in military history.
What You’ll See When You Climb It Today
Climbing the tower now is a different experience entirely from what those wartime lookouts dealt with. Inside, a staircase takes you to the sixth floor spotting gallery, past the Wall of Honor that pays tribute to local residents who served during World War II, with over 160 veterans’ photos on display. Changing exhibits highlight varying topics of history related to the tower, and Observers stationed at the top answer visitor questions.
Outside on the boardwalk, there’s a quieter moment waiting too. An eternal flame sculpture sits on the boardwalk for visitors who want a moment of quiet contemplation before or after the climb. It’s a small touch, but it changes the tone of the visit from “roadside curiosity” to something a little more solemn.
The Hidden Twin Inside the Grand Hotel
Here’s the detail that surprises even longtime Cape May regulars. A sister tower, Fire Control Tower No. 24, still exists just a few miles away — swallowed whole by the Grand Hotel on Beach Avenue. That tower sits just a few miles away in the heart of Cape May, specifically in the heart of the Grand Hotel, which was built around the old watchtower. Three of the hotel’s rooms actually have a curved wall because they are built directly around the tower, and from the street you can spot its round top poking above the hotel’s roofline if you know where to look. Guests obviously can’t go inside it, so don’t bother asking the front desk — but it’s a fun bit of trivia to share with whoever you’re traveling with on the walk back from Tower No. 23.
Visiting the Cape May WWII Lookout Tower: What to Know
The tower is located at 536 Sunset Blvd. in Lower Township, near Sunset Beach and Cape May Point State Park. Regular hours run 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with adult admission at $8 and children ages 3 to 12 at $5, while veterans and active-duty military climb free. If you’re also planning to climb the Cape May Lighthouse nearby, a combination ticket covering both sites runs $18 for adults and $12 for children, saving a couple dollars over buying separately.
A few practical notes: hours shift seasonally, and the tower closes during lightning, so it’s worth a quick call ahead if you’re making a special trip. The climb itself isn’t strenuous — six flights with rest stops and exhibits along the way — which makes it a solid stop for families who might balk at the Lighthouse’s taller staircase. Pair it with a walk on Sunset Beach to hunt for Cape May diamonds, and you’ve got a full, slightly offbeat afternoon that most Jersey Shore visitors never think to plan.
NOTE TO THE ADVENTURER: This guide is meant to spark curiosity for what lies beyond the horizon — not to serve as a guarantee. Roads fall into disrepair, buildings are torn down and rebuilt, and properties change hands; 'tis your responsibility to do your own research before setting out. Always heed local and regional law, and always respect ground that isn't your own. Take every entry here as a suggestion, not a decree. This guide's contents were gathered with the aid of artificial intelligence, and like any scout, it will from time to time lead you astray. You assume all risk in following its counsel, and neither this blog nor its author is liable for any loss, injury, or misfortune that results.
