Last updated: October 18, 2019
Article
Capturing the Colors: Conservation Work at Desert View Watchtower Concludes
![Guided tour viewing the murals on the second level of Desert View Watchtower. a small group of people are looking at wall murals of Hopi Indian designs within a room in a circular tower.](/articles/images/DSC_0401.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
The red, yellow, blue, brown, black and white hues on the walls and ceilings of the Desert View Watchtower are once again vividly on display. Over the past four years, the historic tower at Grand Canyon National Park’s Desert View area has undergone extensive conservation and graffiti remediation work on the interior to conserve the murals that were painted in 1932.
Since 2015, one floor of the five-story tower was completed each year in six to eight-week segments, with work on the fifth floor concluding over the past weekend. The conservation effort, completed by Conservation Associates of Santa Fe, New Mexico, began with a comprehensive condition assessment of the tower.
Since 2015, one floor of the five-story tower was completed each year in six to eight-week segments, with work on the fifth floor concluding over the past weekend. The conservation effort, completed by Conservation Associates of Santa Fe, New Mexico, began with a comprehensive condition assessment of the tower.
![Water seeping through the walls can deposit salt. water seeping through a masonry into murals of American Indian designs.](/articles/images/assessment.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
![Climb 85 steps for a 360° view from observation deck 70 ft (21 m) above the rim of Grand Canyon. a small circular room with bluish concrete walls with pay telescopes in front of large windows looking out on a colorful canyon landscape](/articles/images/DSC_2542.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
“In the worst areas of damage, the conservationists filled deep gouges where names had been carved into historic window sills and staircases. They then used conservation toning techniques to recreate the natural pigments in the wood,” said Jenn O’Neill, Grand Canyon National Park’s partnerships and planning coordinator. “A different removal technique was required for each type of graffiti caused, for example, by permanent markers, nail polish or pens.”
![Conserving a mural on level 3 of Desert View Watchtower. a woman wearing rubber gloves is cleaning an American Indian design that is painted onto a masonry wall.](/articles/images/conservation2-640.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
“This is the largest conservation project conducted within the tower since it was built and the murals were painted,” said Craig Chenevert, Grand Canyon National Park’s historical architect. “All of the conservation work conducted is reversible should a better conservation technique be developed in the future.”
![Conservator working in Desert View Watchtower A woman wearing an apron is holding a palette of earth-toned colors and, with a small brush, is filling in a crack in a masonry wall](/articles/images/conserve-640.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
![Desert View Watchtower is located on the eastern end of Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim. a circular stone tower 5 stories high with windows of different sizes around the circumference](/articles/images/1_5_1.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
The Desert View area has been used as a gathering place for thousands of years, and it currently represents the physical and cultural gateway from Grand Canyon National Park to tribal communities.
![The transformation of the Watchtower back to its original intent is already proving to be a dramatic experience for visitors and park staff. Before (left) and after conservation work (right) photo pair showing removal of salt stains and enhancement of murals that have been cleaned.](/articles/images/before-after-level-3.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Learn more about Desert View Watchtower here: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/photosmultimedia/mary-colter---indian-watchtower.htm.
Additional photos of the conservators at work in the watchtower.
Additional photos of the conservators at work in the watchtower.