About The Bat Tower

The current plan is to rebuild the tower based on measurements taken from the remains of our tower and
the existing historic Campbell bat tower on Sugarloaf Key, Florida. The exterior proportions, structure, and
materials of the new tower will match (exactly) those of our previous historic tower. The interior of the tower
will be re-configured with assistance from Cyndi and George Marks of The Florida Bat Conservancy so it will
be a functional roost. The proposed site for the new tower is based on research by the Marks and will be in
the soon to be opened 150-acre Temple Terrace Riverfront Park, which was purchased with ELAPP funds in
the 1980s. The tower will be the focal point for the new park and will complement the award winnning ‘bat
tower-viewing pavilion’ which was designed and constructed by USF School of Architecture and Community
Design (SACD) students in 2008.

Efforts to reconstruct the tower, one of Temple
Terrace’s greatest icons, have been on and
off for years. The tower was in the process of
being relocated to a nearby park and placed
on the National Register when it was burned
down in 1979. The latest effort to reconstruct
the tower has several goals and benefits to
Temple Terrace. A new Temple Terrace bat
tower would recreate an historic icon, allow
the city to reduce its use of harmful pesticides,
provide habitat for local native bats and
create a local tourist attraction. Not to mention
the original tower was just plain cool (and
“green“) and worthy of being rebuilt.