Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum Control Tower

Next to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Ford Island sits a two-story building with an orange and white striped tower rising 156 feet above the tarmac. This is the most famous landmark on Ford Island. You may pass by it on your way to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum if it is included in tour Pearl Harbor Tour. The building is called Building S84, and the tower is the Ford Island air control tower. This historic building is part of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. This historic building was still under construction when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. While not completed, the tower was being used as an air traffic control tower and was shot at by the Japanese. The control tower was operating and directing aircraft throughout the attack and providing direction to aircraft from the USS Enterprise when they arrived at Pearl Harbor in the middle of the attack. The hangars that house the aviation museum were also attacked by Japanese planes. The tower was not always orange and white as it appears today. During WWII, it was painted in a gray camouflage pattern. It was painted in its distinctive bright colors well after the war. In addition to being used for air traffic control, the tower also doubled as a water tower. Building S84 also housed a garage, administrative offices, and aerological facilities in the two-story structure. After WWII, the building has seen many other uses as well, including use as a firehouse, chapel, and training facilities. The building had fallen into disuse by the late 1990s, as had the airfield and hangars. Building S84 has been leased by the US Navy, and restoration work is being done on it. There are plans to allow people to tour the tower in the future. If the tower looks familiar to you, it was featured in the 2001 Michael Bay movie Pearl Harbor.