by Whitney Youngs

Hoping for a centerpiece item for its museum, the Hermosa Beach Historical Society in the coming months will acquire a wooden lifeguard tower from the city’s beach which dates back to the 1950s.

Officials from Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbors Department wish to replace 13 older lifeguard towers with more contemporary ones made of wood, stainless steel and recyclable plastic at various spots along the beach stretching from Second Street to 24th Street.

Historical Society President Fran Carr learned about the county’s intentions two months ago from her daughter, who is a lifeguard in Hermosa Beach. Several society members contacted the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and stated their interest in procuring a tower. Knabe’s representatives reviewed the society’s request and agreed to it.

According to Wayne Schumaker, who is the department’s division chief of facilities and property, the county will look at the structural integrity of each of the remaining towers in the hopes of auctioning them off to people wanting to purchase the historic pieces.

Schumaker hopes to replace all 13 towers by the end of the year. The cost of replacing each tower is between $27,000 and $28,000. The last time the county replaced a group of towers in Hermosa Beach was in the early 1980s, following the El Nino storm season.

“We have been consistent in our maintenance with the towers in replacing roofs, rails and ramps, but it just isn’t cost-effective,” said Schumaker. “Los Angeles County lifeguards designed these new towers with a better view of the water and a ramp that is expected to increase their response time. These new towers are state-of-the-art and this has been a long time coming.”

Carr believes the tower will only serve to enhance the new exhibits in the museum’s expansion space. Society board member Rick Koenig will select the oldest tower in the best condition which seem to be the ones located near 16th and Eighth streets.

“We thought the tower would be perfect for our museum,” said Carr. “During our last three or four meetings, we tried to find a way to do this. We didn’t know how exactly because we knew the county wanted to auction off the towers due to the interest surrounding them.”

The society hopes to use the new exhibit space to highlight the history of volleyball, lifeguards, surfing and music, which may encompass both jazz and punk rock genres linked to Hermosa Beach.

“We, of course, want one of the older towers from the 1950s,” said Carr. “I think people in this area are interested in these kinds of exhibits. Some people insist lifeguarding started out here in Hermosa Beach. We would like to assemble the tower in the same way it now sits on the beach, but it will probably need to be shorter without a ramp. But the goal is to set it up in its entirety.”

With the help of the city’s Public Works Department, the tower will make its way off the beach and into the city yard where it will sit until the society schedules its move into the museum. Both Koenig and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Howard Fishman donated their own time in pushing this endeavor forward with Schumaker, who will oversee the project.

“It will be interesting to see what the society will come up with as far as displaying the tower,” said Fishman. “The city has been very good about working with the society and it seems like things are really starting to happen.”