Thomas Ottenstein; Builder of Gettysburg Tower

Thomas R. Ottenstein, 70, builder of the controversial observation tower at Gettysburg battlefield. Born in Washington, Ottenstein graduated from Syracuse University and Georgetown University’s law school. After serving in the Army, he went into his family’s newspaper distribution business before turning to real estate development. In the early 1970s, he built the observation tower on private land adjoining the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The 307-foot galvanized steel tower proved to be a lucrative attraction offering a panoramic view from four observation decks of the land where more than 50,000 Americans were killed in the momentous Civil War battle in July 1863. The tower, however, drew strong opposition from neighbors, historians and preservationists who viewed it as an eyesore and a desecration of the ground where so many had fought and died. In Ottenstein’s view, the National Park Service had allowed the land surrounding the park to be defiled by a commercial strip of fast-food restaurants, motels and assorted tourist shops. In 1990, however, a change in the law placed the tower inside the national park, and last month it was demolished as part of an effort to eliminate commercialism around the battlefield. There is ongoing litigation to determine how much compensation the federal government owes for taking over the tower under eminent domain. Ottenstein died Thursday in Washington of prostate cancer.