Haystack Mountain Tower
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Designed by Erick Rossiter and built in 1929, Haystack Mountain Tower is a 50 foot-high stone observation tower situated on top of Haystack Mountain at an elevation of approximately 1700 feet above sea level. Its construction was funded by Ellen Battell Stoeckel. The tower is made of granite, with concrete steps and floors and steel to provide support for the observation platform. Its style is Tudor Revival.
Haystack Mountain State Park is open for hikers and other visitors.
Images
Haystack Mountain Tower, photographed by David Ransom (see below for a link to the full NPS photo gallery).
Translation of the plaque on the tower: "To God, your family, your country, your family, and your town, always be faithful." Photographed by David Ransom.
Inside the tower, photographed by David Ransom.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Architect Erick Rossiter (1854-1941) studied Architecture at Cornell, worked for multiple architectural offices in New York City, and practiced under Frank Ayres Wright. He then became a senior partner at Rossiter & Muller, which built a number of other buildings, including:
- Hepburn Hall, University of Vermont, 1916
- St. John's Church, Washington, Connecticut, 1917
- Church of St. Michael, Litchfield, Connecticut, 1919
Design inspiration for the Haystack Mountain Tower comes from medieval architecture. It has a simple, monumental design (possibly based on Norman or Tudor precedents).
Ellen Battell Stoeckel (1851-1939) donated the Tower as well as the surrounding land to commemorate her father Robbins Battell, who had donated Battell Chapel at Yale University in 1874 and the Congregational Church in Norfolk in 1888. Ellen Battell Soteckel and her husband Carl were active patrons of Connecticut's arts scene.
- Hepburn Hall, University of Vermont, 1916
- St. John's Church, Washington, Connecticut, 1917
- Church of St. Michael, Litchfield, Connecticut, 1919
Design inspiration for the Haystack Mountain Tower comes from medieval architecture. It has a simple, monumental design (possibly based on Norman or Tudor precedents).
Ellen Battell Stoeckel (1851-1939) donated the Tower as well as the surrounding land to commemorate her father Robbins Battell, who had donated Battell Chapel at Yale University in 1874 and the Congregational Church in Norfolk in 1888. Ellen Battell Soteckel and her husband Carl were active patrons of Connecticut's arts scene.
Sources
Ransom, David. "Haystack Mountain Tower (photo gallery)." NPS. Accessed March 03, 2017. https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Photos/93001244.pdf.
Ransom, David. "National Register of Historic Places Form: Haystack Mountain Tower." U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service. Accessed March 02, 2017. https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/93001244.pdf.
Ransom, David. "National Register of Historic Places Form: Haystack Mountain Tower." U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service. Accessed March 02, 2017. https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/93001244.pdf.