History of Lookout Mountain Antenna Tower Land

Lookout Mountain Antenna Proliferation 1978-1992

• 1953 KCNC and KMGH towers built on historic
  residential lots along Cedar Lake Road; KCNC
  tower collapses from (reported) 100 mph
  winds; JeffCo Commissioners revise zoning
  regulations. Lookout Mountain plats remain
  MR-1.
• 1954 Missionary Sisters erect a 22-foot
  statue of their patron, the Sacred Heart of
  Jesus, at the highest point of Mother Cabrini
  Shrine (the same altitude as antennas); Like
  all other desirable plats in the Denver metro
  area, lots on Mountsfield Drive in Panorama
  Estates begin to fill with homes as part of the
  post World War II boom. The public knew
  nothing about electromagnetic radiation from
  radio frequency antennas and enthusiastically
  welcomed television.
• 1955 KRMA Channel 6 tower built next to
  the historic Boettcher Mansion; second KCNC
  tower blows over from broadcaster-reported
  130 mph winds. County Commissioners
  designate all existing mountain plats as
  Mountain Resident-1. Towers not allowed to
  be constructed nor antennas added.
• 1957 Rebuilt “Robin’s Nest” restaurant
  (destroyed by fire) becomes Thunderbird Inn.
• 1958 BCC amends zoning resolution;
  Lookout remains MR-1.
• 1960 Joe Dekker and “Doc” Lamb plat
  Paradise Hills Ranch and Charros Club;
  “Roundup Riders of the Rockies” gather
  annually on Lookout Mountain.
• 1962 Federal government erects FAA tower
  next to KWGN-Channel 2, directly east of
  historic Lariat Trail, Buffalo Bill Grave and
  Museum without any approval from Jefferson
  County.
• 1963 Architect Charles Deaton builds the
  “Sleeper - Flying Saucer - Sculptured House”.
  1968 Construction of Union Pacific microwave
  tower at Cedar Lake Rd.
• 1971 KWGN requests a variance permitted by
  the Jefferson County Board of Adjustment to
  add a second tower of 448.5 on a 1.2-acre
  parcel, zoned A-2. The new tower was to hold
  the preexisting KWGN antennas on the
  shorter tower. There was no request for
  additional equipment in a nonconforming
  building. KWGN represented that the original
  KWGN tower was not tall enough to get the
  signals out. The Jefferson County Board of
  Adjustment assumed the short tower would be
  removed. Jeffco Comments: “ For the time
  being, the old tower will remain as an
  emergency Back-up facility which they can
  switch to in case of problems.”

• KWGN claims “Well, the old tower is approaching 20 years, and the antenna on it also is approaching 20
  years. It was not designed to carry current thinking in television today……a good portion of our radiation
  is going right into Buffalo Bill’s monument….Our proposal is to put up a new tower, and increase the
  height some 250 ft. This would get us up over Buffalo Bill’s mountain.” Answering questions about short
  tower removal, KWGN spokesman said, “For the time being, we would, basically for the first year until we
  get all the bugs our of the new installation, we’d keep the old one as an emergency back-up facility which
  we could switch to in case of problems with the big, with the new tower.”