English: Looking down from watchtower onto the entire Kiva Room observation deck covered by the white tarp that protected the roof of the Kiva Room during the roof replacement project.

During the first phase of the 2010 renovations, the watchtower’s roof was replaced. Work on phase I of the project took place in January. Visitors had access to the interior of the tower throughout the renovations. However, it was necessary to close the observation deck for three weeks while the roof was being repaired.

The Watchtower is located at Desert View, the eastern-most developed area on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Recognized as a National Historic Landmark, the tower was constructed in 1932. Architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter’s design takes its influences from the architecture of the ancestral Puebloan people of the Colorado Plateau. She collaborated on the design with Hope artisans of the day, including well-known Hopi artist Fred Kabotie whose murals adorn much of the second level of the tower.